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TEX  YEARS  OP  PREACHER-LIFE. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  of  ILLINOIS. 


Ji(  f/fe  /, 


-V 


TEN  YEARS  OF  PREACHER-LIFE 


Cjjapfers  itam  u  $uto.bi0jp£|rg. 


UY 

WILLIAM  HENRY  MILBURN, 

AUTHOR   OF    "THE   RIFLE,    AXE  AND   SADDLE-BAGS." 


"  There  was  a  time  when  meadow,  grove,  and  stream, 
The  earth,  and  every  common  sight, 
To  me  did  seem 
Apparelled  in  celestial  light. 
The  glory  and  the  freshness  of  a  dream." 


NEW  YORK: 

DERBY  &  JACKSON,  119  NASSAU  STREET. 

1859. 


3 


Em«i:io  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1849,  by 

WILLIAM    HENRY    MILBURN, 

Id  the  Clerk's  Office  of   the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District  of 
New  York. 


W.  li.  Tihson,  Slereotyper. 


Russia  l,  Printers. 


A'-'- 


i 


So  (Due 


WHO   FOR   THIRTEEN   TEARS   HATH   BEEN    TO   HE   AS 

A     LIGHT     SHINING     IN     A     DARK     PLAOE, 
JSL  Y      WIPE; 

THROUGH        WHOSE        EYES 

I     HAVE     BEEN     ENABLED     TO     ENJOY     THE    WORLD     OF    NATURE, 

AND        WITH        WHOSE        TONGUE 

t     IIAVE     KEPT     COMPANY    WITH     THE     GREAT    AND    GOOD     OF     ALL    AGES 

THIS    VOLUME 

IS   GRATEFCLLY   AND  AFFECTIONATELY   INSCRIBED. 


\ 


PREFACE. 


On  a  starlight  night,  in  the  summer  of  1854, 1  was 
pacing  Nahant  beach  with  the  poet  Longfellow.  I 
could  fancy  that  the  smoke  from  our  cigars  shaped 
itself  in  fantastic  wreaths  about  us.  As  our  talk  ran 
upon  the  old  world  and  the  new,  upon  the  scenes  we 
had  visited  and  the  men  we  had  known,  "  Why  do 
you  not  write  the  story  of  your  life  ?"  he  said. 

The  idea  had  never  occurred  to  me  before.  Not  a 
week  later,  Mr.  Prescott  asked  me  the  same  ques- 
tion. 

Since  then  it  has  been  often  repeated. 

I  have  sought  in  this  volume  to  set  before  the 
reader  a  truthful  picture  of  the  life  of  a  Methodist 
preacher,  which  more  than  that  of  almost  any  other 
man  in  this  country,  is  fraught  with  the  experience 
of  vicissitude. 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  by  reason  of  my 
infirmity  I  have  no  contact  with  the  printed  page, 
that  therefore  the  ear  is  my  only  guide  in  composi- 
tion. My  intellectual  training  has  been  directed  to 
one  object — the  acquisition  of  the  power  and  habit 
of  extemporaneous  speech ;  the  reader  must  not  be 
surprised,  then,  if  I  have  failed  with  the  pen. 

Nearly  every  word  of  this  book  has  been  written 
with  the  fingers  of  the  young  people  of  my  parish. 
John  Randolph  used  to  exclaim,  "  No  man  has  such 
constituents  as  I  have."  I  may  say  with  equal 
truth — no  man  has  such  friends  as  I !  To  the  young 
men  and  women,  therefore,  who  have  used  for  me  the 
pen  of  the  ready  writer,  I  hereby  make  my  grateful 
acknowledgments. 

Brooklyn,  N.  T.,  July  25th. 


CONTENTS 


rim 

A  Day  of  Clouds  and  thick  Darkness,  .  .  .  13 

The  Land  of  the  Setting  Sun,       .....        20 

Life  in  a  Hesperian  Garden,         .  .  .  .  .28 

"  There  were  Giants  in  those  Days,"    .  .  .  35 

The  Saddle-Bags  taken  up,  ......       47 

Let  no  Man  despise  thy  Youth,    .....        59 

"  Breaking  Bread  from   House   to  House,  they  did  Eat 

their  Meat  with  Gladness  and  Singleness  of  Heart,"     .       70 

Brush  College,   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .81 

Walking  the  Hospital,  ......        99 

"  Cry  Aloud  and  Spare  Not," 108 

A  Reed  shaken  by  the  Wind,       .  .  .         .  .      115 

Congress  and  Two  of  its  Young  Men,  .         .         .         .123 

1* 


CONTENTS. 


The  Senate,        ....... 

Social  Life  in  Washington,  and  some  of  its  Traditions, 

A  Wedding  Trip,       .... 

Life  on  Wheels,         .... 

Sketches  of  the  Mississippi  Valley, 

Education  of  the  Senses,       .  .  . 

A  Southern  Home — Hard  Study — Chauncey  Hobart — 
Thomas  Carlyle,     . 

On  the  Road  Again,  . 

Southern  Character,  . 

The  Negro, 

Flight  for  Life,  .  . 


PAGB 

"39 

1 66 

189 
209 
231 
267 

278 
301 
3i5 
337 
353 


uIt  is  not  now  as  it  hath  been  of  yore  ; 
Turn  wheresoe'er  I  may, 
By  night  or  day. 
The  things  which  I  have  seen  I  now  can  see  ;io  mom. 

"The  rainbow  comes  and  goes, 
And  lovely  is  tlie  rose, 
The  moon  doth  with  delight 
Look  round  her  when  the  heavetm  are  bare 
Waters  on  a  starry  night 
Are  beautiful  and  fair ; 
The  sunshine  is  a  glorious  birt\ 
But  yet  I  kno-r,  where'er  I  go 
That  there  hath  paused  away  a  glory  from  the  earth," 


"  What  tr  ough  the  radiance,  which  was  once  so  bright, 
Be  now  forever  taken  from  my  sight — 
Though  nothing  can  bring  back  the  hour 
Of  splendor  in  the  grass,  of  glory  in  the  flower, 

We  will  grieve  not — rather  Bud 

.strength  in  what  remains  behind — 

In  the  primal  sympathy, 

Which,  having  been,  must  ever  be — 

In  the  soothing  thoughts  that  spring 

Out  of  human  suffering ; 

In  the  faith  that  looks  through  death, 
it  years  that  bring  the  philosophic  mind." 


TEN  YEARS  OF  PREACHER-LIFE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A   DAT   OF   CLOUDS   AND   THICK   DARKNESS. 

"Well  do  I  remember  how  fair  the  earth  and 
heavens  appeared  to  me,  a  child  nearly  five  years 
old,  on  a  bright  summer  afternoon,  in  the  year 
1828.  The  sun,  fast  going  clown  the  western  sky, 
threw  his  slanting  beams  along  the  narrow  streets 
and  alleys,  and  over  the  quaint  old  houses  which  met 
my  eye  as  I  stood  in  one  of  the  oldest  portions  of  the 
city  of  Philadelphia. 

It  was  at  the  end  of  my  father's  garden,  ap- 
proached from  the  house  by  a  long  gravel  walk, 
lined  on  each  side  by  beds  of  flowers,  whispering  to 
the  childish  ear,  even  in  the  heart  of  a  great  city, 
sweet  tales  of  green  fields,  while  over  them  as  sen- 
tinels stood  two  old  Lombardy  poplars,  their  tall 
stately  forms  almost  reaching,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  to 
the  very  sky. 

13 


14  TEN    YEARS   OF    TREACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 

Very  beautiful  to  me  was  that  little  garden,  -when 
over  it  stretched  so  bright  a  sky,  and  the  soft 
wind  rustled  through  the  branches  of  the  trees ; 
and  I  recollect  the  hue  and  aspect  of  all  as  vividly 
as  though  I  had  seen  it  but  yesterday.  And  with  good 
reason  do  I  remember  it ;  for  never  again  was  this  brave 
show  to  appear  to  me  on  earth — a  single  blow  blotted 
out  for  me  the  celestial  beauty  of  the  outer  world. 

I  was  playing  with  a  boy  about  my  own  age,  when 
raising  his  arm,  to  throw  a  piece  of  glass  or  oyster- 
shell,  and  not  seeing  me  behind  him,  the  missile  en- 
tered my  left  eye,  as  he  drew  his  hand  back,  and  laid 
open  the  ball  just  belowT  the  pupil.  The  sharp  agony 
of  pain  and  the  sight  of  dropping  blood  alarmed 
me,  and  I  sped  like  a  frightened  deer  to  find  my 
mother.  Then  followed  days  and  weeks  of  silence 
and  darkness,  wherein  a  child  lay  with  bandaged 
eyes  upon  his  little  couch,  in  a  chamber  without  light, 
and  which  all  entered  with  stealthy  steps  and  muffled 
tones.  At  last  there  came  a  morning,  when  I  was 
led  into  a  room  where  the  bright  sunshine  lay  upon  the 
carpet ;  and  though  dimmer  than  it  used  to  be,  never 
had  I  been  so  glad  to  behold  it.  But  my  gladness  was 
suddenly  checked  when  I  found  several  strange  gen- 
tlemen seated  there,  among  whom  was  our  family  phy- 
sician, a  tall,  stern,  cold  man,  of  whom  I  had  always 
been  afraid.  What  they  were  going  to  do  I  could 
not  tell ;  but  a   shudder  of  horror  ran  through  me 


CHAPTEKS    FKOM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  15 

when,  seated  on  my  father's  knee,  my  head  resting  on 
his  shoulder,  the  doctor  opened  the  wounded  eye  and 
he  and  the  other  surgeons  examined  it.     They  said 
that  the  cut  had  healed,  and  that  all  now  needed  to 
restore  the  sight  entirely  was  the  removal  of  the  scar 
with  caustic.     How  fearful  was  the  fiery  torture  that 
entered  the   eye  and  burnt  there  for  days,  I  need 
not  attempt  to   describe !     Then   came   once  more 
the    darkened    chamber    and    long    imprisonment ; 
until  I  was  led  a  second  time  into  the  light  room,  and 
the  presence  of  the  same  men,  who  seemed  to  be  my 
enemies,  coming  only  to  torment  me.    I  shrunk  from 
them,  and  cried  aloud  to  my  father  to  save  mp.     The 
doctor  caught  me  between  his  knees,  threw  my  head 
upon  his  shoulder,  thrust  the  caustic  violently  through 
the  eye,  and  the  light  went  out  of  it  forever  ! 

Matters  were  now  worse  than  ever.  Not  only  was 
a  live  coal  placed  in  the  socket  of  one  eye,  but  it  was 
feared  that  inflammation  would  destroy  the  other. 
Furiously  did  the  inflammation  rage  in  spite  of  all  that 
skill  and  kindness  could  do.  My  third  imprison- 
ment lasted  two  years.  Living  in  a  little  chamber 
where  brooded  the  blackness  of  darkness — under* 
going  bleeding,  leeching,  cupping,  besides  swallowing 
drugs  enough  to  dose  a  hospital,  until  the  round 
childish  form  shrunk  to  a  skeleton,  and  the  craving 
of  appetite  was  but  tantalized  with  boiled  rice,  and 
mush  without  milk  as  an  alternative — was  not  this 


16  TEN    YEARS   OF    I'BEAUH Eli- LIFE  ;    OK, 

a  sad  way  for  a  child  to  spend  his  life,  between  the 
ages  of  five  and  seven  ? 

Yet  in  the  midst  of  all  this  there  was  comfort  and 
cause  for  gratitude.  My  feeblest  cry  was  never  un- 
heard, so  light  was  my  mother's  sleep  ;  and  so  constant 
was  her  care,  through  all  those  weary  days  and  nights, 
that  the  bandages  about  my  temples  were  never  suf- 
fered to  become  dry.  When  the  sharpness  of  the 
agony  had  softened  down  into  a  numb  or  gnaw- 
ing pain,  there  was  a  happy  time  in  every  day  for 
me ;  this  was  when  my  father,  relieved  from  the 
cares  of  business,  with  a  heart  tender  and  pitiful 
as  a  woman's,  would  steal  softly  into  the  room,  and 
take  me  gently  on  his  knee,  and  break  the  lapse  of  the 
short  silence — the  cause  of  which  I  learned  to  under- 
stand by  many  a  shower  of  warm  drops  upon  my 
head  and  hands — by  telling  me  old  stories  of  the  Re- 
"v  olutionary  war,  in  which  his  father  had  served  from 
Bunker  Hill  to  Yorktown,  and  how  he  when  a  boy 
went  duck  shooting  among  the  celery  beds  of  Elk 
River,  and  all  the  pleasant  things  that  he  could  think 
of.  Then  he  would  tell  me  stories  from  the  Bible ; 
and  after  a  while,  when  we  were  allowed  to  have  a  ket- 
tle light  within  the  room,  he  and  my  mother  would 
read  to  me,  the  sacred  words  of  that  venerable  book  : 
and  so  I  came  to  think  upon  God  as  my  friend  and 
father,  and  that  thought  was  as  a  great  light  shining 
in  the  thick  darkness.    O  irs  was  a  humble  home,  and 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  IT 

there  was  a  stern  discipline  going  on  within  it  for  the 
parents  as  well  as  for  the  child  :  and  yet  when  the 
bitterness  of  the  first  grief  was  over,  I  much  question 
if  there  were  many  happier. 

My  weary  confinement,  like  all  other  things  in  this 
world  of  change,  came  to  an  end ;  and  I  stood  once 
more  in  the  breezy  air,  beneath  the  sunny  sky.  True 
there  seemed  a  shadow  on  the  day.  The  delicate 
hues  of  flowers  and  foliage,  the  light  of  stars,  and 
that  diviner  light  which  shines  through  the  human 
face,  had  faded  into  nothingness ;  but  I  knew  the 
rapture  of  liberty.  It  was  like  a  release  from  the 
thraldom  of  the  grave.  Frequently  afterwards  I 
had  to  return  to  the  bondage  of  my  prison-house,  as 
a  protection  from  the  glare  of  the  summer's  sun,  and 
the  winter's  snow  ;  but  never  for  more  than  a  few 
weeks  at  a  time. 

How  much  and  in  what  way  I  could  see  I  never  have 
been  able  accurately  to  describe.  The  left  eye  was 
gone  altogether  !  and  after  the  ravages  of  the  inflam- 
mation, the  right  retained  the  smallest  possible  trans- 
parent spot,  not  much  larger  than  a  pin's  point,  in  the 
cornea  and  the  pupil,  through  which  the  light  might 
enter.  To  make  this  fraction  of  an  eye  available,  it 
was  necessary  to  use  a  shade  above  the  eye  and  place 
the  middle  finger  of  the  right  hand  beneath  it ;  thus 
forming  a  sort  of  artificial  pupil,  allowing  only  the 
due  quantity  of  light  to  enter.     By  this  means  I  was 


18  TEN   YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 

enabled  to  read  a  little  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  in 
strong  daylight,  holding  the  book  very  close  to  the 
eye,  and  bringing  every  letter  to  the  precise  spot  on 
which  the  sight  was  fixed. 

Before  my  hurt  I  had  learned  to  read,  and  now  as 
I  returned  to  the  world,  my  school-days  recom- 
menced. My  infirmity  prevented  me  from  sharing 
the  more  active  and  invigorating  sports  of  my  fellows, 
and  I  was  forced  to  seek  a  compensation  in  books  and 
conversation.  Miss  Jane  Porter  was  among  my 
earliest  friends,  and  Washington  Irving's  Sketch 
Book  was  as  franiliar  as  household  words  by  the 
time  that  I  was  eight  years  of  age.  I  had  access  to  a 
tolerably  well  selected  library,  and  slowly  spelling 
out  volume  after  volume  of  voyages,  travels,  biog- 
raphy, history  and  fiction,  I  was  not  envious  when  I 
heard  the  shouts  and  laughter  of  my  schoolmates. 
"  The  words  of  the  wise  are  as  apples  of  gold  in 
pictures  of  silver,"  and  every  author  is  a  wise  man 
to  a  studious  boy.  Books  open  a  wonderful  world  to 
us,  brighter  than  that  on  which  the  sun  shines,  and  to 
be  allowed  to  dwell  and  muse  at  will  among  its  glories 
makes  large  amends  for  being  deprived  of  the  loveli- 
ness of  the  dim  spot  which  men  call  earth,  where 
"  the  grass  withereth  and  the  flower  fadeth." 

The  eye  is  a  haven,  at  which  the  treasure  fleets 
that  sail  through  the  ocean  of  light  are  unladen,  and 
their  stores  deposited  in  the  vaults  of  the  intellect ; 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  19 

but  it  is  through  the  whispering  gallery  of  the  ear,  that 
man  reaches  the  heart  of  his  fellow  man  most  quickly 
and  surely.  Light  and  knowledge  are  for  the  eye, 
love  and  music  for  the  ear.  Hearing  oftentimes 
seems  to  me  a  nobler  sense  than  sight,  with  richer 
benedictions  attendant  on  it,  with  tenderer  and  holier 
offices  assigned  to  it.  Man's  voice,  tuned  by  sym- 
pathy, moving  to  the  modulations  of  intelligence  and 
love,  may  perform  the  sweetest  and  holiest  ministry 
of  human  life.  Do  you  wonder,  then,  that  with 
books  and  with  friendly  talk  I  learned  to  bear  my 
affliction  cheerfully  ? 


20  TEN   YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER    n. 

THE   LAND   OF   THE   SETTING   SUN. 

Ocjr  family  story  is  a  common  one  in  this  country 
of  financial  reverse  and  disaster.  My  father,  who 
started  in  life  with  nothing  but  rectitude  and  busi- 
ness habits,  acquired  a  handsome  fortune ;  but  the 
storm  of  1837  overtook  him  with  all  sails  set,  and 
like  many  other  gallant  barks,  his  was  wrecked. 
When  the  fierceness  of  the  squall  was  over,  and 
we  looked  around  to  see  what  was  left,  we  found  that 
it  consisted  of  honor,  health,  hope  and  our  household 
furniture.  In  America  to  fail  in  business  and  to  re- 
move to  the  West  are  very  apt  to  be  cause  and 
effect. 

To  go  from  a  warm  sunny  past  through  a  dreary  pre- 
sent filled  with  ruins — to  leave  behind  home,  and 
friends,  and  church — to  break  all  the  old  strong  ties  of  a 
life-time,  and  journey  toward  a  land  of  strangers  where 
all  is  new  and  untried,  has  been  the  heart  sickening 
experience  of  many  who  will  read  these  pages.  But 
for  the  young,  hope  ever  arrays  the  future  with 
robes  of  glory  ;  and  the  Far  West  is  always  a  land 


CHAPTERS   FKOM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  21 

of  promise,  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  The  Mis- 
sissippi was  at  the  time  I  speak  of  almost  the  bound- 
ary of  emigration,  and  people  of  the  eastern  States 
were  accustomed  to  look  upon  Illinois  as  that  part  of 
the  civilized  globe  lying  next  door  to  the  setting  sun. 
Of  course,  being  so  near  to  the  couch  of  that  distin- 
guished luminary,  it  caught  and  retained,  for  the  un- 
initiated fancy,  much  of  the  brightness  of  which  he 
divested  himself,  on  retiring  to  rest.  It  would  have 
done  your  eyes  and  heart  good  to  see  the  many  beauti- 
fully colored  and  mounted  maps  of  the  State,  its  noble 
counties,  its  unnumbered  magnificent  towns  and 
cities,  with  classical  and  musical  names,  displayed 
upon  the  walls  of  hotels,  and  at  the  offices  of  disin- 
terested and  philanthropic  gentlemen  whose  sole 
object  in  life  seemed  to  be  to  help  their  fellow  crea- 
tures to  find  Paradise  and  Peru  combined.  How  it 
kindled  the  eye  and  warmed  the  soul  to  hear  these 
friends  of  humanity  discourse  on  places  whose  names 
were  borrowed  from  memorable  spots  in  the  paft, 
apparently  with  the  view  to  show  how  much  more 
famous  they  would  become  in  this  second  appropria- 
tion than  they  had  been  in  the  first.  There  were 
Attica,  Athens,  Sparta,  Golconda,  Ophir,  Cairo, 
Pome,  Bethel,  Warsaw,  Naples,  Vienna,  Paris, 
London,  Edinburgh,  Florence,  Berlin,  Petersburg, 
Pekin,  Alexandria,  Moscow,  Delhi,  and  scores  of 
others,  all  giving  the  eager  listener  assurance  through 


22  TEN    YEAKS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 

the  persuasive  eloquence  of  the  land  agents,  that  how- 
ever the  cities  originally  bearing  them  had  failed  in 
their  mission,  their  grandeur  now  mouldering  into 
decay,  their  faded  glory  would  be  more  than  atoned 
for  by  the  success  and  splendor  of  their  namesakes.  It 
was  eminently  gratifying  to  observe  how  the  maps  bore 
witness  to  the  public  spirit  and  Christian  liberality  of 
the  founders  and  citizens  of  these  august  and  well 
named  capitals.  There  were  public  squares  at  fre- 
quent intervals,  whose  forest  trees  shaded  beautiful  pro- 
menades and  drives,  and  in  every  one  of  these  squares 
were  spots  selected  where  stood,  or  were  to  stand, 
statues  of  memorable  persons,  and  others  from  which 
fountains  were  to  throw  their  rainbow  shafts  high  in 
air.  Here  the  Male  Academy  was  placed,  and  there 
the  Female  Seminary,  and  yonder  was  the  Univer- 
sity. The  churches  were  abundant ;  moreover  you 
were  informed  that  such  was  the  rush  of  population 
to  the  "West  that  the  nation  would  soon  have  to  move 
its  capitol  to  Cincinnati,  and  you  already  began  to 
feel  sorry  for  the  poor  old  deserted  eastern  States. 
One  fear  alone  haunted  your  mind,  that — as  accord- 
ing to  the  maps'  story  the  State  was  covered  with  towns 
and  cities — there  would  soon  be  no  farms,  and  then 
where  would  the  wheat  and  corn  come  from  to  feed 
such  a  population  ? 

I  am  writing  of  1838.     In  May  of  that  year  we 
took  our  journey  to  the  far-off  country.     It  required 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHT .  23 

two  weeks  to  go  a  distance  which,  could  now  be  tra- 
versed in  two  days.  At  length  we  reached  our  desti- 
nation, Jacksonville,  Morgan  County,  Illinois,  twenty 
miles  east  of  the  Illinois  River,  and  a  hundred  miles 
northeast  of  St.  Louis. 

If  the  maps  and  descriptions  had  wrought  us  an 
enchanter's  spell,  the  charm  was  soon  broken.  One 
great  capital  after  another  had  vanished,  and  a  stage- 
ride  from  Naples  through  Exeter  and  Geneva  to 
Jacksonville,  a  distance  of  twenty-two  miles,  served 
to  quiet  any  apprehensions  we  might  have  entertained 
as  to  the  density  of  population  and  the  multiplicity 
of  the  towns  preventing  the  growth  of  breadstuffs ; 
for  the  namesakes  of  the  Italian,  Swiss,  and  English 
cities  consisted  of  about  a  dozen  log-cabins,  each 
with  a  frame  house  or  two  belonging  to  the  great  pro- 
prietors. But  though  there  were  no  great  towns  on 
the  road,  there  was  a  country  of  as  quiet,  picturesque, 
and  smiling  loveliness,  as  the  eye  of  man  ever  rested 
on.  "We  crossed  the  river  bottom,  mounted  the  noble 
bluff  which  serves  "  in  the  office  of  a  wall,"  drove 
through  narrow  belts  of  timber,  crossed  the  skirts  of 
rolling  prairies,  the  road  passing  the  summit  of  an 
ascending  ridge  until  we  gained  "  the  Mound,"  four 
miles  from  our  journey's  end.  From  this  elevation 
the  land  fell  off  in  gentle  swells  toward  the  groves  on 
the  edge  of  the  horizon.  The  prospect  was  divided 
between  cultivated  fields,  green  with   the   ripening 


24  TEX    YEAKS    OF   PEEACHEK-LIFE  ;    OR, 

wheat,  and  the  tender  shoots  of  corn,  and  nnfenced 
prairie,  where  countless  cattle  were  cropping  the 
sweet  wild  grass  and  flowers.  Here  and  there  young 
orchards,  near  the  cabins  of  the  earliest  settlers,  gave 
promise  by  their  bloom  of  rich  stores  of  fruit  to  come. 
The  air  was  freighted  with  the  smell  of  new-mown  hay, 
of  prairie  flowers,  and  the  blossoms  from  the  distant 
woods.  Sky  and  earth  wore  the  bright  livery  of  sum- 
mer, and  the  air  in  its  balmy  incense  seemed  to  offer' 
the  New  World's  first  fruits  to  its  maker. 

An  hour's  drive  hence  brought  us  to  our  new 
home.  The  pretty  village  stood  in  the  middle  of 
a  high  rolling  prairie,  and  already  had  marks  of 
tasteful  embellishment  in  the  trees,  shrubbery,  and 
flowers,  about  almost  every  house.  White  lead,  how- 
ever, is  the  most  notable  feature  in  our  new  towns. 
Eastern  emigrants  cannot  long  brook  log  houses  ;  and 
while  those  unsightly  yet  necessary  and  most  com- 
fortable abodes,  serve  the  earliest  settlers,  the  saw 
mill  and  paint  pot  are  quickly  at  work  to  produce  the 
second  crop  of  civilization  in  the  shape  of  frame 
houses  with  very  thin  walls,  covered  with  clap-boards. 
I  confess  to  a  grateful  love  of  log  cabins,  and  am  much 
inclined  to  the  belief  that  their  humble  roofs  have 
sheltered  a  greater  amount  of  health,  content,  happi- 
ness and  virtue  than  any  other  style  of  domestic 
architecture. 

In  the  centre  of  the  town  was  the  public  square. 


CHAPTEKS    FEOM    AN    AUTOBIOGKAPHY.  25 

From  this  proceeded,  the  four  principal  streets  ,which 
in  their  continuation  kept  us  in  correspondence  with 
the  four  quarters  of  the  globe  ;  and  many  a  time 
have  I  looked  upon  stages  running  their  several  ways 
and  fancied  them  monster  shuttles  weaving  us  into 
the  world's  web,  and  laying  our  life  threads  side  by- 
side  with  our  fellows  in  the  vast  fabric  of  humanity. 
The  sides  of  the  square  were  lined  with  the  shanties 
in  which  was  transacted  the  business  of  the  place. 
The  occupants  of  these  lowly  shops,  in  which  was 
sold  all  manner  of  merchandise — from  the  ribbon 
that  trimmed  the  bonnet  of  the  rustic  belle,  to  the 
plough  which  broke  up  her  father's  acres — were 
styled  merchants,  and  the  occupation  of  bartering 
molasses  and  calico,  for  beeswax,  butter  and  eggs, 
was  denominated  the  mercantile.  At  frequent  in- 
tervals were  located  "  groceries,"  most  commonly 
called  "  doggeries,"  where  "  spirits  "  were  sold  by 
"  the  small "  i.  e.  the  glass.  In  the  centre  of  the 
square  stood  the  court  and  market  houses,  the  one 
brick,  the  other  frame.  The  market  was  two  stories 
high,  the  lower  story  devoted  to  the  sale  of  meats,  and 
the  upper  to  a  newspaper  and  lawyers'  offices,  the  gal- 
lery at  the  side  serving  as  a  rostrum  for  stump  ora- 
tors. Saturday  was  a  great  clay,  when  from  many 
miles  around  the  old  and  young,  male  and  female, 
came  with  every  product  of  the  land,  by  every  means 
of  conveyance,  to  trade.     Homespun  dames  and  dam- 

2 


26  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER- LIFE  |    OK, 

sels,  making  the  circuit  of  the  square  inquiring  at 
every  door :  "  D'ye  buy  eggs  and  butter  yer  ?"  and 
sometimes  responding  indignantly,  as  I  heard  a 
maiden  once  when  told  that  eggs  were  bringing  only 
three  cents  a  dozen  :  "  What,  do  ye  s'pose  our  hens 
are  gwine  to  strain  theirselves  a  laying  eggs  at  three 
cents  a  dozen  ?  Lay  'em  yourself,  and  see  how  you'd 
like  the  price." 

It  was  a  lively  scene  on  a  market  day ;  with  its 
crowds  of  prairie  wagons,  long,  low  uncovered  boxes 
placed  on  wheels,  in  which  the  articles  sold  and 
bought,  to  which  the  generic  name  of  plunder  was 
applied,  were  conveyed  to  and  from  the  town ; 
while  groups  of  saddled  horses,  pawing  the  earth 
and  neighing  their  neighborly  recognitions  to  each 
other,  stood  fastened  at  the  posts.  Here  you  might 
descry  a  piratical  cow,  boarding  a  wagon  by  adroitly 
raising  her  fore  legs  into  it,  smelling  around,  while 
the  trading  owner  was  absent  for  fruits  and  vege- 
tables, or  even  devouring  his  purchased  stock  of 
sugar  ;  and  there  sweeping  along  at  full  gallop,  some 
half  drunken  jockey,  showing  off  the  points  of  his 
steed,  and  with  stentorian  voice  offering  to  bet  any 
man  ten  dollars  that  it  was  the  best  piece  of  horse 
flesh  on  the  ground.  Groups  are  gathered  in  front  of 
all  the  "  doggeries,"  at  the  street  corners,  and  at  the 
doors  of  the  court-house,  discussing  politics,  or  other 
urgent  questions  of  the  time  ;  differences  of  opinion, 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  27 

stimulated  by  bald-face  whisky,  often  bringing 
these  conferences  to  a  pugilistic  termination.  Mean- 
while the  older  ladies,  arrayed  in  dark  linsey-woolsey 
dresses — the  lower  front  adorned  by  blue  check 
aprons — their  heads  covered  with  sun-bonnets,  and 
their  feet  with  yarn  stockings  and  brogan  shoes  or 
moccasins,  having  brought  the  interesting  and  com- 
plicated operations  of  trading  to  a  close,  stand  idly 
about  with  folded  arms,  regaling  themselves  with 
fumes  of  tobacco,  inhaled  from  a  corncob  or  sweet 
potato  pipe.  The  exercises  of  the  day  were  usually 
varied  by  political  speeches,  a  sheriff's  sale,  a  half 
dozen  free  fights,  and  thrice  as  many  horse  swaps. 
•  Just  before  sundown  the  traders  departed,  and  the 
town  was  left  to  its  inhabitants. 

The  principal  denominations  of  Christians  had 
houses  of  worship  in  the  village,  and  the  society  of 
the  place  made  up  of  representatives  from  all  sec- 
tions of  the  Union,  had  a  higher  intellectual,  moral 
and  religious  tone  than  is  usual  in  a  new  country. 

Besides  the  President  and  Professors  of  Illinois 
College,  there  was  quite  a  number  of  men,  distin- 
guished in  the  State  by  their  positions  at  the  bar 
and  in  politics ;  and  from  all  sides  the  new  comers, 
who  deserved  it,  received  cordial  welcome  and  hos- 
pitable courtesy. 


28  TEN    YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OK, 


CHAPTER  in. 

LIFE   IN    A    HESPERIAN    GARDEN. 

Our  boxes  were  unpacked,  and  our  household 
goods  arranged,  in  a  little  house  which  was  intended 
to  have  one  room  below  and  a  loft  above,  but  the 
lower  room  had  been  skillfully  divided  by  thin  board 
partitions  into  three.  Housekeeping  thus  began,  and 
as  we  gradually  fitted  ourselves  to  the  new  order  of  . 
things,  we  felt  more  and  more  at  home. 

My  father  raised  a  small  capital,  and  taking  heart 
of  grace,  ventured  once  more  into  the  uncertainties 
of  business,  and  I  was  installed  as  my  mother's  assist- 
ant in  housekeeping,  and  as  my  father's  in  merchan- 
dising. In  that  free  and  independent  country,  such 
things  as  servants  were  not — not  even  help  or  hired 
girls — so  that  the  women  of  the  household  had  their 
own  work  to  do,  their  husbands  and  sons  aiding  them 
by  attending  to  the  "  chores."  Therefore  this  saying 
passed  into  a  proverb — "It  is  a  good  country  for 
men  and  horses,  but  it  is  death  on  women  and 
oxen." 

It  devolved  upon  me  to  draw  the  water  and  cut 


OHAPTEES   FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  29 

the  wood ;  but  I  cannot  boast  that,  with  my  best 
endeavors,  I  ever  acquired  much  facility  in  milking 
a  cow.  Early  rising  was  the  habit  of  the  land,  and 
our  family  was  not  second  to  the  foremost ;  but 
whether  from  constitutional  indisposition  or  excess 
of  the  discipline,  or  a  failure  in  it,  I  cannot  tell,  yet  I 
fear  much  that  the  practice  then  submitted  to  from 
necessity  has  implanted  in  me  an  unconquerable 
repugnance  to  Dr.  Franklin's  adage,  and  in  spite  of 
my  better  judgment,  I  feel  the  tip  of  my  nose  sud- 
denly aspiring  whenever  I  hear  that  wise  counsel 
preached — 

"Early  to  bed,  and  early  to  rise, 
Makes  a  man  healthy,  wealthy,  and  wise." 

In  winter-time  we  always  breakfasted  by  candle- 
light ;  and,  by  the  way,  although  I  do  not  believe  I 
should  ever  have  acquired  eminence  as  a  tallow- 
chandler,  it  is  fair  to  state  that  I  did  acquire  some 
skill  in  the  manufacture  of  "  dips  and  moulds,"  and 
also  of  "soft  soap,"  the  kind  chiefly  in  use — I  mean 
the  literal,  not  the  metaphorical.  It  fell  to  my  lot  to 
prepare  the  early  repast.  After  kindling  the  fire 
and  putting  on  the  kettle,  I  ground  and  made  the 
coffee,  laid  the  table,  and  then  hurried  to  the  store, 
where  another  fire  was  to  be  lighted,  and  the  pre- 
mises swept  and  dusted.  .Returning,  I  was  in  time 
for  the  meal,  and  at  its  close,  my  father  went  to  the 


30  TEN   YEAES   OF   PREACnEK-LIFE ;    OK, 

counter,  while  I  staid  to  play  domestic.  These  duties 
ended,  I  entered  upon  those  of  clerk  and  book- 
keeper, making  small  entries,  measuring  what  the 
natives  call — not,  I  suppose,  with  the  cognizance  of 
Lindley  Murray — "  them  molasses,"  or  weighing  out 
coffee,  tea,  and  sugar. 

My  old  passion  for  reading  had  survived,  and  as  I 
soon  became  acquainted  with  almost  everybody  in 
the  village,  books  enough  were  lent  me  to  fill  my 
leisure  moments.  Nothing  came  amiss,  and  with 
what  greediness,  nay,  rapacity,  did  I  devour  every 
one  that  fell  in  my  way !  There  was  always  a  volume 
at  hand,  and  with  my  seat  at  the  door  in  summer 
time,  and  by  the  window  in  the  winter,  for  the 
strongest  light  was  needful,  every  gap  in  business 
was  appropriated  to  the  beloved  page ;  and  even 
whilst  standing  behind  the  counter,  counting  eggs, 
weighing  butter,  or  summing  up  accounts,  the  rap- 
turous world  to  which  books  had  introduced  me,  with 
its  fadeless  lights  and  sounding  oracles,  its  profound 
truths  and  majestic  ideals,  still  owned  me  as  a  new- 
born inhabitant,  and  I  was  happy.  The  lowly  affairs 
by  which  I  was  employed  seemed  unreal,  and  the 
teachings  of  the  historian  or  the  poet  alone  appeared 
to  be  present  and  substantial.  I  have  often  won- 
dered whether  any  one  ever  enjoyed  such  delight  in 
reading  as  I  did  in  those  days,  the  opportunities  were 
so  spare,  and  the  difficulties  so  great. 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  31 

With  what  rapt  and  reverential  devotion  did  I 
muse  and  ponder  upon  the  writers  of  books  !  There 
was  a  gentleman  in  the  Tillage  who  had  known 
Paulding,  Longfellow,  and  Washington  Irving.  This, 
together  with  the  fact  that  he  owned  several  hundred 
well-assorted  volumes,  made  him  a  hero  and  sage  to 
my  fond  idolatry.  Never  have  I  stood  in  such  awe 
of  a  human  being.  Never  could  I  speak  to  him 
without  stammering  and  blushing ;  but  I  listened  to 
every  syllable  he  uttered,  and  treasured  even  the 
lightest  word  upon  literature  that  fell  from  him,  as  if 
it  had  been  spoken  by  an  oracle.  Little  are  educated 
men  apt  to  dream  of  the  lasting  benedictions  which 
their  conversation  may  bestow  upon  the  mind  and 
heart  of  boyhood. 

My  studies  had  hitherto  been  devoted,  exclusively, 
to  the  English  branches,  but  I  began  to  yearn  for  an 
acquaintance  with  those  tongues  in  which  the 
master-minds  of  antiquity  had  spoken,  and  so  my 
kind  father  yielded  to  my  persuasion,  notwithstand- 
ing his  fear  that  persistent  study  would  yet  more 
impair  my  sight,  and  brought  me  home  one  day  a 
Latin  grammar  and  reader.  I  wrought  away  with 
youthful  ardor  until  I  had  mastered  them  ;  and,  at 
length,  as  our  affairs  began  to  improve,  it  was  ar- 
ranged that  I  should  have  a  master  for  an  hour  or 
two  a  day.  The  lessons  were  conned  at  the  store, 
and  recited   at  the   school.      Greek  was   added  to 


32  TEN    YEARS    OF   PKEACHEE-LIFE  ;    OK, 

Latin,  and  in  due  time  1  was  ready  to  enter  college. 
Household,  mercantile,  and  collegiate  duties  bound 
on  me  the  burden  of  life's  toils  and  cares,  while  as 
an  offset,  I  enjoyed  my  daily  walk  of  four  miles, 
besides  the  mirthful  chat  and  frolic  of  my  hearty, 
romping,  yet  hard-working  classmates.  They  were 
noble  fellows — our  old  collegians — among  whom 
a  man's  worth  was  determined,  not  by  the  clothes 
he  wore,  or  the  money  in  his  pocket,  but  by 
his  resolution  to  conquer  difficulties,  Lis  will  for 
hard  work,  and  his  spirit  for  good  fellowship.  Not 
a  few  of  them,  to  whom  eleemosynary  aid  had  been 
offered,  disdained  it,  and  to  preserve  their  indepen- 
dence, and  yet  acquire  an  education,  cut  wood  at 
seventy-five  cents  a  cord,  lived  on  potatoes  and  corn- 
meal,  paid  their  own  tuition  bills,  and  having  hewed 
their  way  through  college,  came  out  of  it  with  a 
double  education,  worth  the  having.  Many  of  them 
"  boarded  themselves,"  as  it  was  called,  and  they  felt 
that  their  knowledge  of  cookery,  thus  acquired,  was 
by  no  means  despicable.  "What  feasts  we  had  out  of 
roast  potatoes,  fried  chickens,  and  roasted  turkeys, 
partridges,  prairie-hens,  wild  geese,  and  the  like,  with 
now  and  then  a  haunch  of  venison ;  the  vegetables 
being  the  trophies  of  the  hoe,  the  winged  or  four- 
footed  creatures,  the  trophies  of  the  gun  of  one  or 
another  of  the  party. 

Of  course,  we  had  the  customary  college  anecdotes 


CHAPTERS    FKOM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  33 

and  songs,  the  usual  amount,  no  doubt,  of  sophomoric 
speech-making;  enough  of  us  were  addicted  to 
the  use  of  the  weed,  and  all  of  us  incurred  the  cus- 
tomary charge  for  repairs,  injuring  the  walls  of  the 
room.3  by  sitting  with  our  chairs  thrown  back,  and 
our  heels  placed  against  the  aforesaid  walls,  at  points 
which  would  be  intersected  by  horizontal  lines  run- 
ning over  the  tops  of  our  craniums.  But  we  had  no 
society  such  as  I  have  heard  of  in  some  of  the  Eastern 
colleges,  for  the  promotion  and  diffusion  of  indolence  ; 
the  first  medal  offered  by  which,  was  awarded  to  the 
deserts  of  a  gentleman  who  nailed  his  slippers  against 
the  mantel-piece,  so  that  when  his  feet  were  raised 
to  the  level  of  his  head,  he  should  not  have  the 
trouble  of  holding  them  there. 

Our  fun  was  fun  alive.  In  behalf  of  our  alma 
mater,  we  can  lay  claim  to  a  distinction  unshared  by 
any  other  American  seat  of  learning,  to  wit,  that  it 
has  never  conferred  the  title  of  D.D.  on  any  man  un- 
worthy to  receive  it,  for  in  a  life-time  of  five-and- 
twenty  years,  it  has  had  the  good  taste  never  to 
confer  it  on  anybody. 

Our  pecuniary  circumstances  continued  to  mend, 
and  I  thereby  gained  more  time  and  greater  facilities 
for  study.  But  the  artificial  posture  which  1  had  to 
assume  in  order  to  read  at  all,  bent  almost  double, 
so  seriously  affected  my  breast  and  spine  that  my 
health  was  undermined,  and  fears  were  entertained 

2* 


34  TEN    YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  J    OR, 

for  my  life.  The  physicians  peremptorily  ordered 
me  to  leave  college,  give  up  books,  mount  a  horse, 
and  take  as  much  exercise  as  practicable.  This  was 
in  February,  1843.  A  barrier  that  could  not  be  over- 
leaped was  thus  placed  before  me ;  my  road  turned 
off,  and  I  quitted  the  land  of  my  dreams  and  hopes ; 
a  life  of  scholastic  seclusion  and  contemplation,  for  a 
life  of  vicissitude  and  active  toil.  It  cost  many  an 
hour  of  lonely  wretchedness  and  hopeless  brooding, 
to  come  at  last  to  a  surrender,  to  relinquish  desire, 
expectation,  and  promise.  Not  easily  nor  quickly  is 
the  lesson  of  renunciation  learned  ;  yet  are  we  not  led, 
even  though  it  be  in  a  path  that  we  have  not  known, 
and  stayed  by  an  invisible  yet  almighty  hand ?  "If 
any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  him- 
self daily,  and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow 
me." 

Heavily  and  painfully,  amid  the  languor  of  dis- 
ease and  weakness,  did  the  past  fade  out,  and  the 
curtains  of  the  future  were  slowly  withdrawn. 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  35 


CHAPTER   17. 

"  THERE   WERE   GIANTS   TN   THOSE   DATS." 

From  my  earliest  recollection  my  father's  house 
had  been  a  home  for  Methodist  preachers,  and  I  had 
grownup  with  an  ardent  admiration  and  vehement 
affection  for  the  toil-worn  veterans  of  the  olden  time. 
The  fame  of  their  sufferings  and  self-sacrifice,  of  their 
simple  faith  and  burning  zeal,  of  their  persecutions 
and  successes,  of  their  humor  and  eloquence,  was 
familiar  to  me.  They  were  noble  men,  those 
fathers  of  American  Methodism,  and  worthy  to  be 
held  in  remembrance, — Asbury,  McKendree,  George, 
Roberts,  Emory,  Merwin,  Capers,  Hope,  Hull,  and 
their  associates.  Their  venerable  appearance,  set 
off  with  straight-breasted  coats  and  vests,  and 
white  cravats ;  their  heads  surmounted  with  broad-  ( 
brimmed  white  beavers,  and  their  grave  dignity, 
relieved  and  rendered  more  effective  by  rays  of  humor 
and  pleasant  recitals  of  droll  adventures,  made  a  pro- 
found and  lasting  impression  upon  my  childish  fancy. 
It  was  usual  among  people  of  our  condition  in 
Philadelphia,  to  have  "  evening  companies  "  several 


36  TEN    YEAJRS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE ;     OR, 

times  a  year,  to  which  the  prominent  preachers  and 
their  famil.es,  besides  other  members  of  the  society, 
were  invited.  I  heartily  wish  that  Mr.  Dickens, 
whose  chief  ministerial  acquaintances  seem  to  be- 
long to  the  school  of  Stiggins  and  Chadband,  could 
have  been  present  on  some  of  those  occasions.  He 
would  have  seen  the  representatives  of  a  hearty  man- 
hood that  must  have  won  his  admiring  regard,  and 
heard  bursts  of  humor  as  genial  and  pathetic  as  his 
own. 

They  were  men  of  a  wide  and  varied  acquaintance 
with  life,  and  an  experience  of  the  deep  things  of 
God ;  not  lettered  to  any  considerable  extent,  but 
reading  human  nature  and  its  histories  at  first-hand. 
The  ardor  of  an  early  enthusiasm  had  not  been 
toned  down  by  conventionalism,  or  chilled  by  skep- 
ticism and  unbelief.  The  hardships,  sufferings,  and 
dangers  which  they  had  cheerfully  undergone,  the 
smallness  of  their  salaries,  the  self-denying  spirit 
which  they  Avere  wont  to  manifest,  together  with 
their  straightforward,  independent  bearing,  made 
t  them  dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  people.  The  relations 
of  pastors  and  flock  were  of  the  most  simple, 
friendly,  and  even  intimate  character ;  and  whilst 
the  seriousness  of  a  Christian  bearing  was  never 
compromised,  intercourse  was  beautified,  and  adapt- 
ed to  all  sorts  and  classes  of  persons  by  an  infusion 
of  the  most  genial  human  tenderness. 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  37 

Never,  I  suppose,  will  food  taste  as  sweet  to  me 
again  as  did  the  suppers  of  those  early  days  at  the 
children's  second  table.  But  the  relish  of  the  viands 
was  surpassed  by  the  zest  with  which  we  young- 
sters, in  the  seats  allotted  to  us  among  our  elders,  in 
the  parlor,  listened  to  the  stories  and  adventures  of 
these  men,  who  in  truth  seemed  to  us  prophets  of 
the  Lord.  They  were  ever  kindly  in  their  regard 
for  children,  and  were  accustomed  to  speak  some 
comfortable  words  to  each  child  present.  The  even- 
ing's close  was  always  hallowed  by  a  chapter  read 
from  the  Bible,  a  hymn  in  which  the  voices  of  all 
present  joined,  and  a  prayer  earnestly  commending 
every  one  present  to  the  care  of  Him  who  careth  for 
all.  What  a  strange  fire  glowed  within  the  bosom, 
as  I,  a  tow-headed  urchin,  stood  with  my  face  to  the 
wall,  and  listened  to  the  harmonious  voices  swelling 
the  praises  of  God,  and  thought  of  those  glorious 
fathers,  who,  in  all  their  wanderings  and  trials,  felt 
that  they  were  hidden  beneath  the  hollow  of  an 
Almighty  hand.  They  were  the  Paladins  of  my 
childhood's  chivalry  ;  knights,  the  weapons  of  whose 
warfare  were  not  carnal,  but  mighty  through  God, 
to  the  pulling  down  of  strongholds. 

This  early  veneration  and  affection  went  with  us 
to  the  West,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  able  to  take 
possession  of  a  house  with  a  spare  room,  that  room 
was  styled  the  prophet's  chamber,  and  our  abode 


38  TEN   TEARS   OF   rREACHER-LIFE  :    OR, 

again  became  the  home  of  the  preachers.  Making 
allowance  for  the  differences  between  an  older  and  a 
new  country,  they  were  men  of  the  same  school  as 
those  we  had  before  known ;  for,  notwithstanding 
the  play  of  the  most  decisive  individuality,  the 
strongest  family  likeness  marks  all  the  Methodist 
preachers  I  have  seen.  I  knew  no  greater  pleasure 
than  to  act  the  part  of  ostler  on  behalf  of  the  horses 
of  our  welcome  guests,  acquiring  thereby  a  know- 
ledge and  skill  in  the  use  of  horseflesh  which  stood 
me  in  good  stead  years  after.  The  first  Sunday  after 
our  arrival  we  attended  the  Methodist  church.  It 
was  a  bright  June  morning ;  the  place,  the  people 
were  all  strange,  and  we  felt  the  keen  pang  of 
loneliness  more  on  that  first  day  in  our  Father's 
house  than  at  any  other  time.  While  sadly  brood- 
ing over  the  dear  old  home  far  away,  and  thinking 
of  the  contrast  between  it  and  this  unfamiliar  place, 
our  attention  was  arrested  by  a  strange  apparition 
striding  up  the  aisle.  All  seemed  whispering  to 
their  neighbors,  "  there  he  goes,"  and  all  eyes  were 
riveted  upon  a  man  of  medium  height,  thick-set, 
with  enormous  bone  and  muscle,  and  although  his 
iron-grey  hair  and  wrinkled  brow  told  of  the 
advance  of  years,  his  step  was  still  vigorous  and 
firm  His  face  was  bronzed  by  exposure  to  the 
weather ;  he  carried  a  white  Quaker  hat  in  his  hand, 
and  his  upper  garment  was  a  furniture  calico  dress* 


CHAPTEES   FEOM    AN    AUTOBIOGKAPHY.  39 

ing-gown,  without  wadding.  The  truant  breeze 
seemed  to  sehe  this  garment  by  its  skirt,  and  lifting 
it  to  a  level  with  his  arm-pits,  disclosed  to  the  gaz- 
ing congregation  a  full  view  of  the.  copperas-colored 
pantaloons  and  shirt  of  the  divine — for  he  was  a 
divine,  and  one  worth  a  day's  journey  to  see  and 
hear. 

He  had  then  been  a  backwoods  preacher  for  nearly 
forty  years,  ranging  the  country  from  the  Lakes  to 
the  Gulf,  and  from  the  Alleghanies  to  the  Mississippi. 
He  was  inured  to  every  form  of  hardship,  and  had 
looked  calmly  at  peril  of  every  kind — the  tomahawk 
of  the  Indian,  the  spring  of  the  panther,  the  hug  of 
the  bear,  the  sweep  of  the  tornado,  the  rush  of 
swollen  torrents,  and  the  fearful  chasm  of  the  earth- 
quake. He  had  lain  in  the  canebrake,  and  made  his 
bed  upon  the  snow  of  the  prairie  and  on  the  oozy 
soil  of  the  swamp,  and  had  wandered  hunger-bitten 
amid  the  solitude  of  mountains.  He  had  been  in 
jeopardy  among  robbers,  and  in  danger  from  despe- 
radoes who  had  sworn  to  take  his  life.  He  had 
preached  in  the  cabin  of  the  slave,  and  in  the  man- 
sion of  the  master ;  to  the  Indians,  and  to  the  men 
of  the  border.  He  had  taken  his  life  in  his  hand, 
and  ridden  in  the  path  of  whizzing  bullets,  that  he 
might  proclaim  peace.  He  had  stood  on  the  out- 
skirts of  civilization,  and  welcomed  the  first  comers 
to  the  woods  and  prairies.     At  the   command   of 


4:0  TEN    TEAKS    OF   PREACHER- LIFE  ;    OK, 

Ilim  who  said,  "  Go  into  all  the  world,"  he  had 
roamed  through  the  wilderness ;  as  a  disciple  of  the 
man  who  said  "  The  world  is  my  parish,"  his  travels 
had  equalled  the  limits  of  an  empire.  All  this  he 
had  done  without  hope  of  fee  or  reward;  not  to 
enrich  himself  or  his  posterity,  but  as  a  preacher  of 
righteousness  in  the  service  of  God  and  of  his  fellow- 
men.  Everywhere  he  had  confronted  wickedness,  and 
rebuked  it ;  every  form  of  vice  had  shrunk  abashed 
from  his  irresistible  sarcasm  and  ridicule,  or  quivered 
beneath  the  fiery  look  of  his  indignant  invective. 

In  the  character  of  the  Christian  minister  might 
have  been  a  slightly  exaggerated  infusion  of  the 
frontiersman's  traits.  The  whole  line  of  his  conduct 
may  not  have  been  marked  by  the  spirit  of  meek- 
ness, or  guided  by  infallible  wisdom ;  but  let  those 
who  have  been  tried  as  he  was,  and  have  overcome, 
as  he  has,  be  the  first  to  throw  the  stone  of  censure  at 
him.  Many  a  son  of  Anak  has  been  levelled  in  the 
dust  by  his  sledgelike  fist ;  and  when  the  blind  fury 
of  his  assailants  urged  them  headlong  into  personal 
conflict  with  him,  his  agility,  strength,  and  resolution 
gave  them  cause  for  bitter  repentance.  Another 
Gideon,  he  has  more  than  once  led  a  handful  of  the 
faithful  against  the  armies  of  the  aliens,  who  were 
desecrating  the  place  of  worship  and  threatening  to 
abolish  religious  services,  and  put  them  to  inglorious 
flight.     But  he  only  girded  on  his  strength  thus,  and 


CHAPTEKS    FKOM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  41 

used  the  weapons  that  nature  gave  him,  when  neces- 
sity and  the  law  of  self-defence  seemed  to  admit  of 
no  escape.  The  vocation  in  which  he  gloried  was 
that  of  an  itinerant  preacher,  his  congenial  sphere 
that  of  a  pastor  in  the  woods.  To  brealhe  the  words 
of  hope  into  the  ear  of  the  dying,  and  to  minister 
solace  to  the  survivors ;  to  take  little  children  up  in 
his  arms  and  bless  them  ;  to  lead  the  flock  over 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  had  made  him  an  overseer, 
and  to  warn  the  ungodly  of  the  error  of  their  ways, 
entreating  them  to  be  reconciled  to  God  by  the  cross 
of  Christ,  was  the  business  of  his  life.  Learning  he 
had  none,  but  the  keenest  perceptions  and  the  truest 
instincts  enabled  him  to  read  human  nature  as  men 
read  a  book ;  a  sagacity  rarely  at  fault,  a  powerful 
fancy,  and  a  vivid  sympathy,  that  supplied  the  want 
of  imagination — these,  together  with  the  dedication 
of  his  whole  soul  to  his  work,  and  a  studious  and 
prayerful  acquaintance  with  holy  Scripture,  made 
hhii  a  workman  that  needed  not  to  be  ashamed. 

A  voice  which,  in  his  prime,  was  capable  of  almost 
every  modulation,  the  earnest  force  and  homely 
directness  of  his  speech,  and  his  power  over  the 
passions  of  the  human  heart,  made  him  an  orator  to 
win  and  command  the  suffrages  and  sympathies  of  a 
western  audience.  And  ever  through  the  discourse, 
came,  and  went,  and  came  again,  a  humor  that  Avas 
resistless,  now  broadening  the  features  into  a  merry 


i2  TEN    YEARS   OF   PRE  A.CHER-LIEE  ;    OE, 

smile,  and  then  softening  the  heart  until  tears  stood 
in  the  eyes  of  all.  His  figures  and  illustrations  were 
often  grand,  sometimes  fantastical.  Like  all  natives  of 
a  new  country,  he  spoke  much  in  metaphors,  and  his 
were  borrowed  from  the  magnificent  realm  in  which 
he  lived.  All  forms  of  nature,  save  those  of  the 
sounding  sea,  were  familiar  to  him,  and  were  em- 
ployed with  the  easy  familiarity  with  which  children 
use  their  toys.  You  might  hear,  in  a  single  dis- 
course, the  thunder  tread  of  a  frightened  herd  of 
buffaloes  as  they  rushed  wildly  across  the  prairie, 
the  crash  of  the  windrow  as  it  fell  smitten  by  the 
breath  of  the  tempest,  the  piercing  scream  of  the 
wild  cat  as  it  scared  the  midnight  forest,  the  majestic 
rhythm  of  the  Mississippi  as  it  harmonized  the  distant 
East  and  West,  and  united,  bore  their  tributes  to  the 
far-off  ocean ;  the  silvery  flow  of  a  mountain  rivulet, 
the  whisper  of  groves,  and  the  jocund  laughter  of 
unnumbered  prairie  flowers,  as  they  toyed  in  dal- 
liance with  the  evening  breeze.  Thunder  and  light- 
ning, fire  and  flood,  seemed  to  be  old  acquaintances, 
and  he  spoke  of  them  with  the  assured  confidence  of 
friendship.  Another  of  the  poet's  attributes  was  his 
— the  impulse  and  power  to  create  his  own  language ; 
and  he  was  the  best  lexicon  of  western  words, 
phrases,  idioms,  and  proverbs,  that  I  have  ever  met. 
Such  was  the  man  that  now  stood  before  us  in  the 
desk ;    the  famous  presiding  elder  of  Illinois — the 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  43 

renowned  Peter  Cartwright.  All  honor  to  the  brave 
old  man,  who  still  lives  after  an  itinerancy  of  untold 
toil,  hardship,  and  sufferings,  which  reaches  nearly 
to  the  verge  of  sixty  years,  and  is  to-day  as  indefati- 
gable, cealous,  and  faithful  as  when  in  the  prime  of 
his  strength.  One  feature  of  his  life  I  must  not  omit 
to  mention,  the  fact  that  he  has  sold  more  books  than 
probably  any  man  ever  did  in  a  new  country.  The 
Methodist  economy  enjoined  it  as  a  duty  on  the 
preacher  to  diffuse  a  sound  literature,  and  to  place 
good  books  in  the  homes  of  the  people.  Unwearied 
here,  as  in  everything  else  that  he  believed  to  be  his 
duty,  this  minister  never  travelled,  if  in  a  buggy, 
without  a  trunk,  or  if  on  horseback,  without  a  pair 
of  saddle-bags,  crammed  with  books.  These  he  dis- 
posed of  with  all  diligence,  and  has  thus  entitled 
himself  to  the  lasting  gratitude  of  many  a  youth, 
who,  but  for  him,  might  have  slumbered  on  without 
intelligence  or  education.  I  have  dwelt  upon  the 
character  of  this  man,  not  only  because  I  love  and 
revere  him,  but  because  1  know  of  no  one  who  may 
more  fitly  stand  as  the  type  of  the  pioneer  preachers 
of  the  "West — men  whose  worth,  self-sacrifices,  and 
labors,  have  never  had  their  meed  of  recognition. 
Perhaps  my  sketch  may  be  rendered  more  complete 
by  the  following  story ;  at  all  events,  it  illustrates  the 
humorous  side  of  his  character :  He  was  brought,  some 
years  ago,  by  business  connected  with  the  church,  to 


44  TEN   TEAKS    OF   PKEACHER-LIEE  ;    OK, 

the  city  of  New  York,  where  a  room  had  been  engaged 
for  him  at  the  Irving  House.  Reaching  town  late  at 
night,  lie  registered  his  name,  and  waited  until  the 
sleepy  hotel  clerk  cast  a  glance  at  the  rather  illegible 
scrawl,  and  at  the  farmer-like  appearance  of  the  man 
before  him.  The  servant  was  directed  to  show  the 
gentleman  to  his  room,  which,  toiling  up  one  flight 
of  steps  after  another,  Mr.  Cartwright  found  was  the 
first  beneath  the  leads.  The  patronizing  servant  ex- 
plained to  the  traveller  the  use  of  the  various  article* 
in  the  room,  and  said,  on  leaving,  pointing  to  tlv 
bell-rope,  "  If  you  want  anything,  you  can  just  p^'i 
that,  and  somebody  will  come  up." 

The  old  gentleman  waited  until  the  servant  id 
had  time  to  descend,  and  then  gave  the  ropt  a 
furious  jerk.  Up  came  the  servant,  bounding  two, 
three  steps  at  a  time,  and  was  amazed  at  the  reply 
in  answer  to  his  "  What  will  you  have,  sir  ?" 

"  How  are  you  all  coming  on  down  below  ?  It 
is  such  a  ways  from  here  to  there,  that  a  body  can 
have  no  notion  even  of  the  weather  where  you  are." 

The  servant  assured  him  that  all  was  going  on 
well,  and  was  dismissed,  but  had  scarcely  reached 
the  office  before  another  strenuous  pull  at  the  bell 
was  given.  The  bell  in  the  City  Hall  had  struck  a 
fire  alarm,  and  the  firemen,  with  their  apparatus, 
were  hurrying  with  confused  noises  along  the  street 

"  What's  wanting,  sir  ?"  said  the  irritated  servant. 


CHAPTERS   FEOM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  45 

"  "What's  all  this  hulla-balloo  ?"  said  the  stranger. 

"  Only  a  fire,  sir." 

"  A  fire,  sir  !"  shouted  the  other ;  "  do  you.  want  us 
all  to  be  burned  up  ?"  knowing  well  enough  the  fire 
was  not  on  the  premises. 

The  servant  assured  him  of  the  distance  of  the  con- 
flagration, and  that  all  was  safe,  and  again  descended. 
A  third  furious  pull  at  the  bell,  and  the  almost 
breathless  servant  again  made  his  appearance  at  the 
door. 

"  Bring  me  a  hatchet,"  said  the  traveller,  in  a  per- 
emptory tone. 

"  A  hatchet,  sir!"  said  the  astonished  waiter. 

"  Yes,  a  hatchet." 

"  What  for,  sir  ?" 

"  That's  none  of  your  business ;  go  and  fetch  me  a 
hatchet." 

The  servant  descended,  and  informed  the  clerk 
that,  in  his  private  opinion,  that  old  chap  was  crazy, 
and  that  he  meant  to  commit  suicide,  or  to  kill  some 
one  in  the  house,  for  that  he  wanted  a  hatchet. 

The  clerk,  with  some  trepidation,  ventured  to  the 
room  beneath  the  leads,  and  having  presented  himself, 
6aid  in  his  blandest  tone,  "  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir, 
but  what  was  it  you  wanted?" 

"  A  hatchet,"  said  the  imperious  stranger. 

"A  hatchet,  sir,  really;  but  what  for?"  said  the 
other. 


46  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LITE  ;    OB, 

"  What  for !  Why,  look  here,  stranger,  yon  see 
I'm  not  accustomed  to  these  big  houses,  and  it's  such 
a  journey  from  this  to  where  you  are  that  I  thought 
I  might  get  lost.  Now,  it  is  my  custom,  when  I  am 
in  a  strange  country,  to  "blaze  my  way;  we  cut 
notches  in  the  trees,  and  call  that  blazing,  and  we 
can  then  always  find  our  way  back  again ;  so  I 
thought  if  I  had  a  hatchet,  I'd  just  go  out  and  blaze 
the  corners  from  this  to  your  place,  and  then  I  would 
be  able  to  find  my  way  back." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  the  mystified  clerk ; 
"  but  what's  your  name,  sir  ?  I  could  not  read  it 
very  well  on  the  book." 

"  My  name,"  replied  the  other — "  certainly ;  my 
debts  are  all  paid,  and  my  will  is  made.  My  name 
is  Peter  Cartwright,  at  your  service." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Cartwright,"  responded  the  other,  "  I 
beg  you  ten  thousand  pardons  ;  we  have  a  room  for 
you,  sir,  on  the  second  floor — the  best  room  in  the 
house.     This  way,  sir,  if  you  please." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  old  gentleman  ;  "  that's  all  I 
wanted." 


CHAPTERS  FKOM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.       47 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE   SADDLE-BAGS   TAKEN   UP. 

Just  as  the  sun  was  rising  on  a  brilliant  December 
morning,  we  were  starting  for  a  ride  from  Island  Grove 
across  the  snow-clad  prairie,  seated  in  an  open  car- 
riage, wrapped  in  buffalo  robes,  facing  the  keen 
westerly  wind,  bearing  away  like  mariners,  seaward 
bound,  the  rearward  timber  receding  until  it  looked, 
in  truth,  like  an  isle  encompassed  by  the  endless 
reaches  of  the  sea.  One  could  hardly  fail  to  be 
exhilarated  even  to  the  verge  of  intoxication.  Away 
toward  the  north  and  south  stretched  the  billowy 
land,  unvaried  by  a  single  hill,  unbroken  by  a 
solitary  tree,  until  the  blue  sky  stooped  from  the 
immeasurable  height  above  our  heads  to  the  limit  of 
the  horizon,  as  if  to  kiss  the  earth ;  and  the  earth, 
arrayed  in  vestal  whiteness,  seemed  pure  enough  for 
heaven's  caress. 

As  the  sun's  rays  reached  the  snow,  the  earth 
seemed  sown  with  emeralds,  sapphires,  and  dia- 
monds. Before  us,  toward  the  west,  rose  the  bare 
arms  of  a  forest,  yet  as  we  drew  nearer  we  saw  they 


48  TEN    TEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  |    OR, 

were  not  bare,  but  robed  with  raiment  whiter  than 
wool ;  while  from  every  sturdy  bough  and  tender 
branch  were  pendent  glittering  and  prismatic  stalac- 
tites. Even  the  trunks  of  trees  were  covered  with 
ice,  and  in  the  morning  sunshine  the  woods  seemed 
one  vast  palace,  almost  too  dazzling  to  behold — the 
work  of  an  enchanter's  spell.  As  we  sped  along 
there  was  no  sound  to  break  the  solemn  and  nearly 
awful  stillness,  but  the  clatter  of  our  horses'  hoofs, 
and  the  monotonous  whirl  of  the  wheels. 

My  companion  was  a  tall,  stalwart,  weather-beaten 
man,  venerable  in  aspect,  and  usually  grave  in  de- 
meanor, almost  to  the  point  of  constraint.  He  was  a 
profound  thinker,  an  able  theologian,  and  a  powerful 
preacher  of  the  Word.  I  loved  him  much,  yet  stood 
in  no  little  awe  of  him  by  reason  of  the  elevation 
and  force  of  his  intellect,  and  the  sanctity  of  his 
character.  I  had  a  presentiment  at  starting  which 
was  oppressive,  that  he  and  I  were  to  have  a  conver- 
sation that  morning,  which  should  perhaps  color  and 
affect  all  my  after  life.  But  the  rapid  motion,  the 
stinging,  yet  inspiring  air,  and  the  splendid  scene 
had  raised  me  to  a  kind  of  ecstasy,  when  I  was  at 
once  startled  and  subdued  by  the  clear,  yet  com- 
manding voice  of  my  companion,  saying,  "  William, 
did  you  ever  feel  that  you  were  called  to  preach  ?" 
It  was  a  home  question,  but  one  I  had  hardly  dared 
answer  to  myself.     Is  it  not  the  teaching  of  Scrip- 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  49 

ture — is  it  not  the  faith  of  the  church  that  God  him- 
self selects,  calls,  commissions  and  empowers  his 
servants  who  are  to  cany  his  message  to  the  world  ? 
Is  it  right  for  any  man  to  make  choice  of  the 
ministry  as  a  profession,  in  the  same  way,  and  from 
the  same  motives  that  he  would  adopt  law,  medicine, 
or  science  ?  Dare  any  man  take  upon  himself  this 
office  and  ministry  without  the  monition  and  sanction 
of  the  Holy  Ghost?  and  before  he  be  brave  enough  to 
assume  the  dread  responsibility  of  the  care  of  souls, 
must  he  not  feel  in  agony  of  soul,  "  woe  is  me  if  I 
preach  not  the  gospel  ?"  If  we  can  be  conscious  of 
the  warning  voice  of  an  inward  monitor,  if  we  can 
be  conscious  of  the  living  influences  of  the  divine 
Spirit,  can  we  not  be  conscious  and  equally.assured 
of  the  movement  of  that  same  Spirit,  summon- 
ing us  in  the  serene  and  prayerful  hour  of  medita- 
tion, as  in  the  fierce,  hot  struggle  with  self  and 
secular  desire,  to  "  go  and  teach  all  nations,  baptiz- 
ing them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ?" 

Such,  briefly  stated,  is  the  theory  and  belief  of  our 
denomination. 

I  had  indeed  felt  for  years  that  this  was  to  be  my 
duty,  to  preach  the  gospel ;  but  I  shrank  from  it  with 
unutterable  fear  and  dread.  If  an  apostle  could  say 
"Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?"  then  how  much 
more  I ;  so  I  stammered  out  as  well  as  I  might,  the 

3 


50  TEN   TEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  I     OR.' 

answer  that  my  venerated  friend  demanded,  and  the 
thoughts  that  assumed  the  form  of  doubts  and  diffi- 
culties to  me — youth  and  inexperience,  immaturity 
of  mind,  and  incompleteness  of  education,  and  then 
want  of  vision.  To  all  these  things,  and  many  more 
that  need  not  be  enumerated,  my  companion  made 
reply,  and  urged  me  at  once  to  adopt  the  course  of 
obedience  and  duty.  This  I  could  not  resolve  to  do. 
He  said  the  fields  were  white  unto  the  harvest,  but 
the  laborers  few.  I  said  I  could  not  go,  at  least, 
until  I  had  graduated. 

In  less  than  two  months  after  this,  my  health 
was  gone — my  system  seemed  a  wreck.  Books 
were  denied  me,  and  now  you  will  understand 
why,  in  the  languor  of  disease  and  feebleness, 
I  had  such  hours  of  lonely  wretchedness.  It  is  a 
solemn  ordeal  when  one  ceases  to  be  a  youth — when 
he  is  to  leave  the  shelter  of  his  father's  roof,  and 
the  pitiful  tenderness  of  his  mother,  to  take  upon 
him  the  responsibilities  of  life,  to  make  or  to  mar  his 
own  character,  and  in  his  own,  the  character  of  so 
many  others.  One  instinctively  shivers  at  the  pros- 
pect of  a  wide  strange  world  into  which  he  must 
venture  without  assurance  of  what  may  betide. 

Ardent  as  may  be  the  hope  of  youth,  there  is 
strong  likelihood  that  in  this  time  it  will  be  palsied, 
and  that  boding  fear  will  take  its  place  to  tel]  sad 
tales  and  to  utter  sadder  prophecies. 


CHAPTEES   FKOM    AN"   AUTOBIOGKAPHT.  51 

On  the  first  of  May  I  was  mounted  and  off  for  a 
life  of  wandering.  My  horse,  excepting  his  face  and 
feet  which  were  white,  was  black  as  a  coal.  He  was 
a  five-year-old,  jnst  broken  to  the  saddle,  full  of 
fiery  spirit  and  intelligence,  frolicksome,  but  kindly  ; 
disposed,  like  all  horses  and  men,  to  play  pranks  and 
take  liberties  with  those  afraid  of  him,  and  willing 
only  to  submit  to  a  rightful  master.  His  late  owner 
sold  him  because  he  had  run  away  with  him,  and  it  was 
predicted  that  I,  an  unskillful  horseman,  whose  chief 
feats  had  hitherto  consisted  in  riding  the  preachers' 
horses  to  water,  would  not  go  far  before  being  landed 
in  the  mire,  if  I  escaped  with  an  unbroken  neck. 

My  mother  had  made  every  provision  that  fore- 
sight or  tenderness  could  suggest,  for  the  comfort  of 
my  wayfaring.  A  pair  of  capacious  saddle-bags 
was  stuffed  with  books  and  clothes ;  an  overcoat, 
infolding  an  umbrella,  was  strapped  behind  the 
saddle,  and  I  was  attired  in  a  stout  suit  of  blue  jeans; 
my  nether  extremities  were  inclosed  in  leggings ; 
my  head  was  crowned  with  a  skin  cap,  exchanged  in 
the  summer  time  for  a  Panama  hat.  It  had  been 
arranged  that  I  was  to  travel  with  the  license  of  an 
exhorter,  in  company  with  my  venerated  friend  of 
the  preceding  conversation,  the  Rev.  Peter  Akers. 

Further  on,  I  shall  try  for  the  benefit  of  my  unini- 
tiated readers,  to  explain  some  of  the  terminology 
and  practical  workings  of  the  Methodist  itinerancy, 


52  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 

but  it  is  sufficient  to  state  here  that  Dr.  Akers  was  a 
presiding  elder,  and  that,  as  such,  he  had  a  sort  of 
episcopal  supervision  over  about  a  dozen  charges, 
located  within  a  circuit  of  near  five  hundred  miles. 
It  was  his  business  to  visit  each  of  these  once  in 
three  months,  and  preside  over  the  conference  of  offi- 
cial members,  to  transact  the  ecclesiastical  and  finan- 
cial business,  to  hear  appeal  cases  argued,  to  supervise 
the  moral  and  ministerial  character  of  the  preachers, 
and  by  his  superior  weight  and  spiritual  counsel  to 
advance  the  cause.  The  elder  and  abler  men  were 
usually  selected  by  the  bishop  for  this  responsible 
office,  and  among  these  in  Illinois,  Dr.  Akers  for 
learning,  and  power  as  a  preacher,  stood  without  a 
peer.  It  is  true  that  his  interest  in  his  theme  and  the 
fervor  of  his  feelings  carried  him  to  a  length  of  dis- 
course only  equalled  by  the  Covenanters  and  the 
Puritans.  I  there  frequently  heard  him  "  hold  forth  " 
for  from  three  to  five  hours.  But  it  must  be  said  that 
the  mass  of  his  audience  were  usually  so  enchained 
that  they  would  not  have  had  the  sermon  a  moment 
shorter.  Occasionally,  however,  he  would  feel  com- 
pelled to  bestow  a  reminder  upon  some  impatient 
hearer,  and  one  night  I  heard  him  say  to  a  man  in  the 
congregation  who  pulled  out  his  watch  and  found  the 
preacher  had  been  speaking  about  two  hours,  "  Put 
up  your  watch,  sir,  it  is  not  time  to  go  to  bed  yet." 
Report  said,  that  at  such  times  he  would  now  and 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  53 

then  get  a  reply  which  mightily  tickled,  if  it  did  not 
edify  the  audience.  I  have  heard  it  told,  but  do  not 
remember  on  -what  authority,  that  once  when  the 
services  were  protracted,  an  incorrigible  sinner 
whose  empty  stomach  had  sounded  a  diimer-bell  in 
his  ears,  got  up  to  leave  the  house,  when  the 
preacher  shouted  out  after  him,  "  Stop,  sir,  I  am  not 
through  yet."  "  Go  on,  sir,"  said  the  other,  "  I  am 
just  going  to  dinner,  and  will  be  back  long  before 
you  are  through." 

Away  we  trotted  out  of  the  town,  and  although 
the  roads  were  heavy,  the  pace  of  our  horses  was 
good,  so  that  by  the  time  we  had  reached  the  edge 
of  a  five-mile  prairie,  I,  an  unpractised  rider,  began 
to  be  sore  from  the  jolting.  By  this  time  it  had  com- 
menced to  rain,  so  donning  my  overcoat  I  tried  to  raise 
the  umbrella.  But  my  fiery  steed  seemed  to  think 
such  an  article  unworthy  of  the  man  that  backed 
him ;  away  he  went  and  away  went  the  umbrella, 
and  I  never  saw  it  again,  nor  did  I  ever  attempt 
to  use  one  again  while  riding  the  circuit.  "  Let 
him  go,"  shouted  my  companion  in  a  roar  of  laugh- 
ter. "  Good  bye."  Off  we  sped  in  a  headlong 
gallop,  and  when  my  charger  seemed  disposed  to 
slacken  his  gait,  I  gave  him  the  whip,  nor  did  we 
change  the  break-neck  gait  until  we  reached  the 
opposite  timber,  in  a  shorter  time  than  men  often  ride 
five  miles.     He  never  ran  away  with  me  again. 


54  TEN   YEARS    OF    PliEACHEE-LIFE  |    OE, 

This  little  adventure  brought  my  horse  and  me  to 
the  best  possible  understanding,  and  from  friendship 
•we  grew  to  intimacy,  for  he  was  my  companion  in 
all  my  wayfarings  through  the  West.  Many  a  thou- 
sand miles  has  he  borne  me,  and  many  a  hymn  have 
I  sung,  and  many  a  sermon  have  I  preached  to  him. 
Whenever  he  heard  the  sound  of  my  voice  at  the 
commencement  of  such  exercises,  he  would  prick  up 
his  ears  and  seem  to  listen  with  the  most  intense 
attention,  and  I  can  say  more  for  him  than  for  some 
of  my  human  auditors,  to  wit :  that  he  never  went  to 
sleep  while  I  was  discoursing.  He  appeared  to 
appreciate  my  infirmity,  and  displayed  the  power 
and  scope  of  instinct  to  an  astonishing  degree.  In  a 
country  where  bad  bridges  abounded,  where  streams 
had  to  be  forded,  where  roads  degenerated  into 
bridle-paths,  or  even  faint  trails,  where  often  there 
was  no  r  >ad  at  all,  and  wood  craft  and  the  points  of 
the  compass  could  be  the  only  guides,  he  bore  me  by 
day  and  night  through  danger  and  difficulty,  with  a 
constancy  of  attention,  and  an  unerring  sagacity 
really  wonderful.  Ko  one  of  my  readers  who  has 
ever  owned  and  become  attached  to  a  valuable 
horse,  will  blame  me  for  this  tribute  to  my  faithful 
charger. 

A  ride  of  two  clays  and  a  half  brought  us  to  our 
first  appointment.  The  quarterly  meeting  was  held 
at   a  private    house,   as  was  frequently   the    case, 


CHAPTEBS    FEOM    AN    AUTOBIOGEAPnY.  55 

serving  on  such  occasions  the  two-fold  purpose  of 
chapel  and  hotel.  It  was  a  double  log  cabin,  with  a 
door  communicating  between  the  two  rooms,  the 
women  occupying  one,  the  men  the  other,  in  both 
the  uses  to  which  the  house  was  put.  Seats  for  the 
congregation  were  provided  by  puncheon  slabs  rest- 
ing on  four  legs.  The  young  people  who  could  not 
find  access  to  the  house,  would  stand  beneath  the 
trees,  or  loll  upon  the  grass.  The  congregation 
would  come  from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  around  to 
enjoy  the  services.  The  exercises  invariably  began 
on  Saturday  at  eleven  o'clock,  with  a  sermon  from 
the  presiding  elder.  In  the  afternoon  the  con- 
ference of  official  members  was  held ;  in  the  even- 
ing the  most  available  preacher  was  "  put  up,"  in 
the  language  of  the  country,  and  after  this  sermon 
an  exhortation  was  usually  delivered  by  some  one 
else. 

At  the  close  of  the  exercises  the  benches  were 
carried  out  and  replaced  by  shuck  mattresses,  skins, 
and  blankets,  the  men  making  their  own  beds,  so 
that  in  a  little  while,  as  you  looked  over  the  sleepy 
scene,  by  the  ray  of  an  expiring  pine  knot,  you 
might  well  conceive  it  a  stratum  of  compact  somno- 
lent humanity.  The  first  cockcrow  is  the  signal  for 
a  universal  arousing,  and  while  some  busy  them- 
selves in  taking  up  and  packing  away  the  beds, 
others  bring  wood,  four  or  eight  feet  long,  to  kindle 


56  TEN   YEARS   OF   PKEACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 

a  fire  in  the  capacious  fireplace,  by  which  the  break- 
fast may  be  cooked.  Others,  with  shirt-sleeves 
rolled  up  and  collars  a  la  Byron,  in  the  breaking 
dawn,  trudge  to  the  spring  or  well,  where  ablutions 
are  performed.  A  substantial  meal  is  dispatched, 
for  it  may  be  long  before  we  taste  food  again.  At 
eight  o'clock  the  Sunday  services  begin  by  a  love- 
feast,  to  which  only  members  of  the  church  are 
admitted.  At  eleven  o'clock  the  doors  are  thrown 
open  and  the  public  enter.  The  ordinance  of  bap- 
tism precedes  the  sermon,  the  communion  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  follows  it.  On  more  than  one  occa- 
sion I  have  known  it  to  be  five  o'clock  before  we 
tasted  a  mouthful  after  a  sunrise  breakfast.  In  the 
evening  the  last  sermon  of  the  quarterly  meeting 
proper  was  delivered,  and  by  daybreak  the  follow- 
ing morning  all  were  riding  olf  on  their  several 
ways. 

On  the  Saturday  night  in  question,  after  the  ser- 
mon, the  sonorous  voice  of  my  chief  said,  "  "William, 
exhort."  The  will  of  the  presiding  elder  at  these 
times  is  absolute,  and  obedience  is  one  of  the  lessons 
enjoined  upon  young  preachers.  I  had  no  resource 
but  to  stand  up,  frightened  as  I  was  almost  to  death, 
behind  my  split-bottom  chair,  in  lieu  of  a  pulpit, 
in  front  of  the  huge  fireplace,  and  attempt  to  speak 
by  the  light  of  the  smouldering  embers  and  one  or 
two   candles  fast  sinking  to   their  sockets,   to  the 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  57 

crowd  of  hunters  and  formers  filling  the  cabin,  who 
gaped  and  stared  at  a  pallid,  beardless  boy.  Of 
course  words  were  few,  and  ideas  fewer,  and  on 
resuming  my  seat  I  had  the  uncomfortable  impres- 
sion, that  that  congregation  had  listened  to  about  as 
poor  a  discourse  as  ever  was  delivered.  Such  was 
my  first  attempt  at  preaching. 

The  interval  between  Monday  and  Saturday  of 
each  week,  was  generally  spent  in  travelling  a  daily 
stage  toward  the  next  appointment,  and  preaching 
once  or  twice  a  day,  and  visiting  the  jDeople  on  the 
road.  "Wherever  we  stopped  we  were  treated  with 
the  cordial  hospitality  for  which  the  West  is  pro- 
verbial. Ko  matter  what  the  time  of  day,  food  was 
produced  and  we  were  always  urged  to  eat.  This 
saying  has  passed  into  a  wise  saw,  "  that  yellow- 
legged  chickens  (the  largest  and  finest  breed),  know 
a  Methodist  preacher  as  far  as  they  can  see  him,  and 
that  they  no  sooner  behold  one  approaching  than 
they  squeak  with  terror,  and  betake  themselves  to 
the  timber,  knowing  that  their  heads  are  in  danger.'' 

At  one  of  our  meetings  I  met  the  happiest  man,  I 
think,  that  I  have  ever  known.  He  was  a  bachelor, 
and  a  shoemaker,  who  worked  half  the  time  to 
support  himself  and  horse,  and  attended  meeting  the 
other  half.  I  cannot  say  much  for  the  breadth  of 
his  intellect,  the  extent  of  his  information,  or  the 
quality  of  his  taste.  His  faith  seemed  to  be  un 
3* 


58  TEN   "XEAKS    OF   PREACIIER-LIFE      OR, 

clouded,  and  his  soul  was  ever  on  the  mountain-top. 
lie  was  passionately  fond  of  singing,  and  liad  a 
repertory  of  songs  and  tunes,  all  his  own.  I  think 
you  might  have  heard  him  half  a  mile  off;  I  have 
been  awakened  at  all  hours  of  the  night  by  the 
vociferous  strains  of  this  minstrel,  and  have  seen  him 
astride  a  bench  see-sawing  to  and  fro,  slapping  his 
hands  and  pouring  forth  his  stentorian  solo.  Music 
seemed  to  be  his  meat,  drink,  and  lodging.  His 
favorite  verse,  self-made,  do  doubt,  was  the  follow- 
ing: 

"  I'd  rather  have  religion, 
While  here  on  earth  I  stay, 
Than  to  possess  the  riches 
Of  all  America. 

Chorus. 

Crying,  victory,  victory, 
I  long  to  see  that  day." 

The  rough  and  tumble  life  of  the  woods,  the  fare — 
repulsive  at  first,  but  made  acceptable  by  sharp  exer- 
cise and  appetite — of  hog,  hominy,  and  corn  bread, 
saleratus  biscuit,  and  fried  chicken  (none  of  which  I 
have  been  able  to  tolerate  since),  as  the  season  wore 
on,  began  to  give  me  flesh  and  color. 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  59 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"let  no  man  despise  thy  youth." 

My  itinerating  life  was  yet  fresli  when  the  two 
preachers  from  the  Fancy  Creek  circuit  visited  one 
of  our  quarterly  meetings;  at  its  close  they  besought 
the  presiding  elder  to  lend  me  to  them  for  a  week's 
round,  promising  to  deliver  me  safe  and  sound  at  his 
appointment  the  next  Saturday.  He  assented,  and 
away  I  trotted  with  my  new-made  friends.  Our  first 
stopping-place  was  at  a  house  much  like  the  one  be- 
fore described,  where  the  senior  preacher  was  to 
solemnize  a  marriage.  We  arrived  at  mid-day,  and 
found  a  large  company  assembled — the  future  man 
and  wife  chatting  gaily  with  their  friends,  as  though 
the  knot  had  been  already  tied.  The  ceremony  was 
at  once  attended  to,  and  the  congratulations  de- 
livered, when  the  company  was  summoned  to  the 
most  sumptuous  banquet  that  the  region  could 
afford.  I  wish  I  were  versed  in  the  technicalities  of 
feminine  attire,  that  I  might  favor  my  lady  readers 
with  a  description  of  the  dresses  worn  on  this  gala 
day,  and  a  comical  one  it  would  be ;  but,  failing  in 


60  TEN    TEARS    OF    l'REACHEK-LIFE  ;    OK, 

this,  I  can  only  commemorate  one  incident  that 
struck  me  at  the  time.  A  great  bowl  of  boiled  cus- 
tard was  placed,  with  other  delicacies,  on  the  groan- 
ing board.  A  gentleman  having  hurried  through 
with  the  more  substantial  part  of  the  repast,  seized 
the  bowl  and  a  tablespoon  and  commenced  ingulfing 
the  contents.  A  bystander,  somewhat  shocked  at 
this  private  appropriation  of  what  was  designed  for 
the  community,  remarked  to  him,  "  You  don't  seem 
to  know  what  that  is." 

"  Know  what  it  is !"  responded  the  other,  indig- 
nantly, "  of  course  I  do  ;  I  was  brought  up  on  it — it 
is  thickened  milk." 

As  we  rode  away,  the  preacher  who  had  united 
the  man  and  wife  said  to  me,  "  Billy,  what  do  you 
suppose  that  chap  gave  me  for  a  fee  ?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  replied.  "  Five  dollars,  I  sup- 
pose." 

"He  is  a  hog  without  bristles,"  was  the  strong 
metaphorical  reply  of  the  other ;  "  he  didn't  give  me 
narry  red." 

As  we  proceeded,  he  told  me  I  should  have  to 
preach  that  afternoon  at  four  o'clock,  and  he  turned 
a  deaf  ear  to  all  my  entreaties  to  be  let  off.  Up  to 
this  time  I  had  never  taken  a  text,  for  all  my  exer- 
cises had  been  in  the  shape  of  exhortations,  delivered 
after  some- more  experienced  person  had  expounded. 
My  first  sermon  must  be  preached  somewhere,  and 


CHAPTERS   FROM    AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  61 

why  not  then  and  there?  So  it  was  delivered  to  half 
a  dozen  men  in  their  shirt-sleeves,  with  the  sweat  of 
the  plough  on  their  brows,  their  teams  left  standing 
in  the  fields  the  while,  and  to  as  many  women  in 
sun-bonnets,  whose  knitting  and  pipes  were  laid 
aside  when  the  hymn  was  given  out.  The  rustle  of 
the  green  leaves,  stirred  by  the  pleasant  wind,  the 
song  of  the  birds,  and  the  golden  sunshine  as  it  lay 
upon  the  puncheon  floor  on  that  cheerful  summer 
afternoon,  are  remembered  yet,  and  also  that  my  first 
sermon  was  but  fifteen  minutes  long. 

The  next  day  we  reached  a  village  consisting  of 
a  dozen  or  twenty  houses.  In  the  evening  we 
attended  an  examination  of  the  school ;  at  the  close 
of  the  exercises,  one  of  my  new  friends  mounted  an 
empty  barrel  which  stood  in  the  corner  of  the  room, 
and  had  been  used  as  a  seat,  and  called  out  in  the 
old  Norman  form,  "  Oyez !  Oyez !  take  notice  that 
Brother  "William  Milbnrn  will  preach  in  the  meeting- 
house to-morrow  night  at  early  candle-lighting !"  No 
sooner  was  the  last  word  out  of  his  mouth  than  the 
barrel-head  gave  way  and  the  reverend  clerk,  falling 
to  the  earth,  went  after  the  fashion  of  Regulus,  roll- 
ing about  among  the  legs  of  the  audience,  his  despe- 
rate exertions  to  escape  only  making  his  plight  the 
sadder  and  increasing  the  confusion. 

Between  the  wheat  harvest  and  the  time  for  gather- 
ing corn,  the  farmers  had  a  respite,  and  this  (yclept 


62  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 

roasting-ear  time)  was  the  season  for  camp  meetings. 
Those  who  have  attended  them  only  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  large  cities  or  in  populous  districts,  where 
they  are  apt  to  be  a  rendezvous  for  the  idle,  profane, 
and  lewd,  can  form  little  notion  of  their  impressive 
beauty  and  real  usefulness  in  a  new  and  thinly  settled 
country.  A  grove  of  sugar  maple  or  beech,  with 
abundant  springs  and  pasturage  near  at  hand,  is  se- 
lected, and  here  the  tents  of  canvas,  logs,  or  weather- 
boards, are  erected  in  the  form  of  a  parallelogram, 
inclosing  from  one  to  four  acres.  "Within  this  area, 
upon  which  all  the  tents  open,  are  arranged  the 
seats,  the  altar,  and  the  pulpit,  or  stand  as  it  is 
called.  Spaces  for  streets  are  left  open  at  the  four 
corners  of  the  square.  In  the  rear  of  each  tent,  a 
large,  permanent  table  is  erected;  for  the  meeting  is 
sacred  to  the  rites  of  hospitality  as  well  as  of  devo- 
tion. The  tenters  move  into  their  temporary  abodes 
on  Thursday  or  Friday,  and  the  religious  exercises 
commence  at  once.  A  horn  is  blown  about  day- 
light as  the  signal  for  getting  up ;  after  a  while,  it 
sounds  for  family  prayers,  and  soon  you  may  hear 
strains  of  song  from  every  tent,  celebrating  the 
praise  of  Him  who  hath  given  the  slumber  and 
safety  of  the  night.  The  blast  summons  the  people 
to  the  stand  at  eight  and  eleven,  a.m.,  at  three 
p.m.,  and  again  at  early  candle-lighting.  The  meet- 
ing continues  from  four  to  six  days.     It  is  a  grand 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  G3 

sight  to  behold  several  hundreds — sometimes  swelled 
to  thousands1 — of  people  gathered  beneath  the  shadow 
of  the  green  wood,  worshipping  in  the  oldest  and 
noblest  of  cathedrals  ;  its  aisles  flanked  by  straight  or 
twisted  shafts  springing  from  a  verdant  floor  to  a 
light,  waving  tracery  unapproachable  by  man's  poor 
art.  The  scene  is  one  to  furnish  inspiration  to  the 
speaker,  and  to  open  for  him  the  surest  and  swiftest 
access  to  the  hearers'  hearts.  But  it  is  at  night  that 
the  ground  wears  its  most  picturesque  appearance." 
From  fire  stands,  placed  at  short  distances  over  the 
encampment,  heaps  of  blazing  pine  knots  shed  a  bril- 
liant light  upon  the  assembly,  and  strive  to  illumine 
the  dim,  whispering  vaults  overhead,  through  which 
the  stars,  those  candles  of  the  Lord,  may  be  seen 
blazing  in  their  far  distant  sockets.  Never  have  I 
been  so  moved  by  music,  as  when  the  great  congre- 
gation have  stood  up  on  such  a  spot,  and  poured 
forth  a  hymn  with  one  heart  and  voice.  Truly  was 
it  like  the  voice  of  many  waters. 

No  one  can  fully  estimate  the  beneficent  influences 
of  these  "  feasts  of  Tabernacles,"  where  the  unsophis- 
ticated, people  of  a  new  country  are  schooled  and 
refined  by  the  offices  of  hospitality,  friendship,  and 
devotion.  Not  least  among  the  good  results,  is  the 
acquaintance  with  sacred  poetry  here  acquired  ;  for 
introduced  and  commended  by  the  strains  of  a  lively 
and  heart-stirring  music,  the  best  effusions  of  Mont- 


G4:  TEN   YEAKS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;   OR, 

gomery,  Heber,  Cowper,  "Watts,  and  "Wesley,  win 
their  way  to  a  lasting  place  in  the  affectionate 
remembrance  of  the  motley  crowd.  It  is  quite  won- 
derful to  see  how  retentively  poetry  and  Scripture 
;u-e  held  in  the  memory  of  many  of  these  plain  .and 
comparatively  uneducated  backwoodsmen.  I  have 
seen  more  than  one  preacher,  who  had,  probably, 
never  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  three  months'  school- 
ing, who,  nevertheless,  seemed  to  have  at  command 
a  large  portion  of  Milton's,  Young's,  and  Cowper's 
poetical  works,  besides  vast  stores  from  other  authors; 
and  the  citations,  from  these,  though  often  long,  and 
sometimes  not  altogether  appropriate,  were  keenly 
relished  by  the  people. 

The  stimulating  quality  of  life  in  this  fresh,  unhack- 
neyed world,  the  constant  and  vivid  play  of  the  per- 
ceptions, the  charm  of  variety  and  adventure,  a  first- 
hand acquaintance  with  nature,  the  action  of  sensi- 
bilities unchilled  and  almost  unconscious,  the  use 
of  words  in  their  primary  and  oftentimes  their  strong- 
est signification,  the  effectiveness  of  fancy  and  imagi- 
nation, combine  to  produce  a  striking,  and,  some- 
times, astonishing  style  of  popular  eloquence. 

As  I  went  the  round  of  the  district,  with  my 
venerable  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend,  riding 
sometimes  for  whole  days  through  almost  limitless 
stretches  of  prairie,  much  time  was  spent  in  asking 
and  answering  questions   concerning  theology  and 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  65 

kindred  sciences,  in  which  he  was  profoundly  versed. 
His  full  and  satisfactory  explanations  in  response  to 
my  eager  queries,  together  with  his  exhaustive  dis- 
courses delivered  in  public,  afforded  me  a  large  store 
of  material  to  digest  and  assimilate.  The  intimate 
association  of  the  elder  and  younger  men,  the  habit 
of  constantly  seeking  and  imparting  instruction,  and 
the  urgent  need  for  the  immediate  use  of  all  informa* 
tion  thus  acquired,  constitute  a  prominent  feature  of 
the  mental  discipline  of  the  Methodist  preachers.  I 
have  never  known  such  strong  bonds  of  sympathy 
and  affection  to  unite  men  of  any  class  as  those 
which  bind  these  brethren  together.  The  healthful 
action  of  the  sensibilities  is  always  the  best  condition 
of  mental  growth.  Love  is  the  mightiest  teacher. 
You  can  well  fancy  that  the  powers  of  the  mind  and 
heart  will  not  be  sluggish  or  inapt  when  you  have 
the  wide  open  universe,  with  the  glowing  sunshine 
or  the  glimmering  starlight,  the  fathomless  azure  or 
the  embattled  clouds  joining  in  the  fierce  din  of  the 
tempest  above  you,  and  the  land  all  around  arrayed 
in  the  luxuriant  garb  of  summer-time  ;  when  you 
have  these  for  a  seminary,  a  teacher  by  your  side 
whom  you  both  revere  and  love  as  a  father  and  a 
friend,  and  a  theme  deep  as  life  and  solemn  as  eter- 
nity. Thus  did  the  months  glide  by  from  May  until 
September,  the  latter  closing  the  conference  year, 
when  all  the  preachers  gathered  themselves  together 


66  II  X    YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE;     OR, 

for  the  transaction  of  their  official  business,  and  to 
receive  at  the  hand  of  the  bishop  their  "  appoint- 
ments "  for  the  next  twelvemonth. 

This  is,  perhaps,  the  proper  place  for  me  to  give 
some  explanation  of  the  machinery  and  internal 
working  of  Methodism,  for  the  benefit  of  my  unin- 
itiated readers. 

Persons  are  admitted  to  membership  on  trial  in 
our  societies,  on  profession  of  a  desire  "  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come  and  to  be  saved  from  their  sins." 
Twelve  or  more  persons  constitute  a  "  class,"  one  of 
whom  is  called  a  "  leader."  It  is  his  business  to  see 
his  members  once  a  week,  to  inquire  into  their  spirit- 
ual state,  to  counsel,  reprove,  admonish,  or  encourage 
them.  At  the  close  of  the  probation  of  six  months, 
the  candidate,  if  satisfied  with  the  church,  and  a 
good  report  be  made  of  him,  is  received  into  full 
membership.  A  person  feeling  himself  moved  to 
take  upon  himself  the  office  and  ministry  of  a  teacher, 
makes  this  known  to  the  preacher,  who,  if  satisfied 
upon  consultation  with  his  leader  and  brethren,  gives 
him  a  license  to  "  exhort."  Having  made  proof  of 
his  gifts,  graces,  and  usefulness,  in  this  capacity,  he 
is  called  before  the  quarterly  conference,  a  body 
composed  of  the  presiding  elder  as  chairman,  the 
preachers  on  the  circuit  or  station,  the  stewards  (who 
have  charge  of  the  financial  affairs  connected  with 
the  ministry),  and  the  class  leaders.     He  is  now  to 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  67 

pass  an  examination  as  to  his  education,  religious 
experience,  and  doctrinal  views.  If  these  he  satis- 
factory, and  he  has  given  promise  of  usefulness,  he  is 
recommended  hy  the  conference  to  the  presiding 
elder  as  a  proper  person  to  have  a  license  to  preach, 
and  that  functionary  furnishes  him  with  the  requisite 
authority.  At  the  proper  time,  the  same  "body  fur- 
nishes the  candidate  a  recommendation  to  the  "  An- 
nual Conference,"  desiring  that  he  may  he  received 
on  trial  as  a  preacher  in  the  travelling  connection. 

The  Annual  Conference  is  composed  of  those 
preachers  living  within  a  given  region  of  country, 
who  receive  their  appointments  from  the  hishop  and 
their  support  from  the  church,  and  who  devote  them- 
selves exclusively  to  the  ministry.  The  territory  of 
the  conference  is  divided  into  districts,  the  charge  of 
which  is  given,  as  "before  stated,  to  presiding  elders. 
The  districts  are  subdivided  into  circuits  and  stations, 
the  latter  being  towns  or  cities  where  one  or  more 
societies  require  the  constant  services  of  one  or  more 
pastors.  The  former  are  rural  districts,  composed  of 
from  four  to  thirty  or  forty  neighborhoods,  in  each 
of  which  the  minister  is  to  preach  as  often  as  cir- 
cu instances  may  allow,  and  they  are  technically 
styled  in  accordance  with  the  frequency  with  which 
he  is  enabled  to  visit  the  appointments,  one,  two, 
three,  four,  or  six  weeks  circuits. 

The  business  of  the  preachers  in  conference  assem- 


G8  TEN   TEAKS   OF   rKEACIIER-LIFE  ;   OK, 

bled,  is  to  examine  the  intellectual,  moral,  and  minis- 
terial character  of  each  man,  to  receive  candidates, 
and  to  make  a  report  of  the  sums  which  they  have 
received  for  the  various  benevolent  undertakings  of 
the  church.  At  a  proper  time,  the  bishop,  who  is 
the  presiding  officer,  asks  the  question :  "  Who  are 
to  be  received  on  trial  ?"  When  the  presiding  elders 
read  the  recommendations  of  the  candidates,  and 
make  such  statements  concerning  them  as  their 
acquaintance  and  opinions  justify,  and  the  men  are 
then  received  or  rejected  by  a  vote  of  the  conference. 
If  he  be  received,  the  candidate  must  enter  upon  a 
four  years'  course  of  study,  and  be  prepared  to  stand 
an  examination  every  year  at  the  conference.  This 
curriculum  embraces  a  wide  range  of  literary  and 
theological  study,  the  rigor  and  effectiveness  of  the 
examination,  be  it  said,  being  dependent  on  the  char- 
acter and  attainments  of  the  examining  committee. 
If  he  make  full  proof  of  his  ministry,  at  the  end  of 
two  years  he  is  received  into  full  connection — for 
hitherto  he  has  been  on  trial — and  ordained  deacon. 
At  the  end  of  another  period  of  two  years,  on  the 
same  condition,  he  receives  ordination  as  an  elder. 

During  the  session  of  the  conference,  the  bishop 
who  presides  over  its  deliberations,  holds  a  council 
every  night  with  the  presiding  elders,  who  are 
called  the  members  of  his  cabinet.  Together  they 
make  out  the  appointments  of  the  preachers  for  the 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  69 

ensuing  year.  All  the  other  business  having  been 
attended  to,  the  bishop  closes  the  conference  with  a 
brief  and  pertinent  address,  \vith  singing  and  prayer, 
and  then  by  the  announcement  of  the  "  appoint- 
ments," of  which  the  preachers  generally,  until  this 
moment,  have  remained  in  ignorance. 

Once  in  four  years,  the  members  of  the  annual 
conferences  elect  delegates,  according  to  a  fixed 
ratio,  to  a  "  General  Conference,"  which  is  the  legis- 
lature and  high  court  of  judicature  of  the  church. 
To  this  body  the  bishops,  who  are  elected  by  it,  are 
amenable  for  their  moral,  ministerial,  and  executive 
conduct.  Thus,  then,  this  quadrennial  synod  causes 
the  bishops  to  revolve  regularly  in  their  itinerant 
orbits.  These,  in  turn,  keep  the  thirty  or  forty 
annual  conferences  in  regular  rotation  ;  the  presiding 
elders  turn  the  quarterly  conferences  once  in  three 
months ;  the  preachers  cause  the  revolution  of  the 
leaders  and  stewards  once  a  month,  and  these  the 
private  members  once  a  week.  So  that  the  machi- 
nery consists  of  a  wheel  within  a  wheel,  and  the 
ideal  is  that  of  perpetual  motion. 


70  TEN    TEAKS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 


chapter  vn. 

"  BREAKING  BREAD  FROM  HOESE  TO  HOESE,  THET  DEO 
EAT  THEIR  MEAT  "WITH  GLADNESS  AND  SINGLENESS 
OF   HEART." 

At  the  time  of  which  I  speak,  the  Illinois  Con- 
ference embraced  two-thirds  of  the  State,  and  was 
composed  of  about  110  preachers.  It  was  to  sit  at 
Quincy,  two  days'  journey  from  my  home.  A  party 
of  four  rigged  out  a  two-horse  wagon,  in  which  we 
journeyed  together.  Two  of  the  company  were  old 
preachers  who  had  seen  much  service  on  the  fron- 
tier. The  third  was  a  junior,  a  man  full  of  electricity 
and  humor.  The  way  was  shortened  hy  the  discus- 
sion of  many  grave  and  knotty  points,  and  by  the 
recital  of  many  a  story.  One  or  two  of  these  may 
shed  light  upon  the  primitive  state  of  society  on  the 
border,  and  afford  a  notion  of  the  varied  experiences 
of  the  early  Methodist  itinerants. 

One  of  our  old  preachers,  the  Eev.  S.  II.  Thomp- 
son, was  travelling  a  circuit  in  Tennessee  at  an  early 
day.  He  was  invited  to  cross  the  mountains  and 
visit  a  settlement  where  a  preacher  had  never  been. 
The  entire  population  turned  out  to  give  him  a 
hearty  welcome,  and  to  hear  his  message.     In  the 


.'HAJTEKS    FROM    AaN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY  .  7 1 

midst  of  bis  discourse,  a  man  rode  up  to  the  edge  of 
the  assembly  and  alighted  ;  whereupon,  every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  the  congregation  rushed  to  the 
new-comer  to  ask  and  hear  the  news.  One  of  the 
party,  with  an  encouraging  look  and  gesture  to  the 
preacher,  saying,  "  Go  on,  parson,  we'll  all  be  back 
directly."  In  due  time  they  returned,  and  Mr. 
Thompson  proceeded  with  his  sermon.  At  its  close, 
he  called  on  an  extorter  who  had  accompanied 
him  to  the  place,  to  pray.  The  brother's  spirit 
was  willing  but  his  flesh  was  weak,  for  he  had  a 
great  boil  on  his  right  knee.  The  audience  beheld 
his  energetic  yet  ludicrous  attempt  to  put  himself 
in  the  proper  posture  ;  when  one  of  the  bystand- 
ers, a  good-natured  giant,  touched  with  compassion, 
stepped  forward  and  lying  flat  on  his  face,  said  : 
"  Here,  brother,  kneel  on  me."  The  exhorter  ac- 
cepted the  living  stool,  and  becoming  much  excited 
in  the  course  of  his  prayer,  would  often  raise  himself 
up  and  then  come  down  with  emphatic  force  on  the 
back  of  his  prostrate  friend.  At  the  close  of  the 
lengthy  supplication,  the  latter  rose,  and  shaking 
himself,  exclaimed:  "First-rate  prayer,  weren't  it? 
— a  little  long,  though." 

One  of  our  beloved  bishops,  the  Rev.  Thomas  A. 
Morris,  when  a  young  man,  was  travelling  some- 
where in  the  West,  and  left  an  appointment  to 
preach  in  a  neighborhood  little  frequented  by  the 


72  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACIIER-LIFE  J     OR, 

ministry.  Due  notice  was  given,  and  a  large  com- 
pany assembled.  The  service  was  to  be  held  in  a 
double  log-cabin  with  a  porch  in  front.  The  men 
were  gathered  in  one  room,  the  women  in  the  other, 
and  the  boys  on  the  porch.  The  preacher  stood  in 
the  door.  As  lie  proceeded,  a  couple  of  men  in  the 
congregation  began  to  whisper,  and  at  length  spoke 
so  loud  that  all  the  congregation  could  hear  them  ; 
the  theme  of  their  discourse  being  a  horse-swap. 
The  preacher  paused  and  said,  that  as  it  was  bad 
manners  for  more  than  one  to  speak  at  a  time,  if  it 
were  necessary  for  them  to  bring  their  trade  to  a 
conclusion  on  the  spot,  he  would  stop  until  they  had 
finished.  They  were  silent,  and  he  resumed,  when 
an  officious  old  gentleman  came  bustling  through  the 
crowd  with  a  split-bottomed  chair  raised  high  above 
his  head,  and  placing  it  in  front  of  the  preacher, 
said  :  "  I  forgot  you  had  no  pulpit ;  a  man  can't 
preach  without  a  pulpit ;  here  is  one."  The  preacher 
began  again,  but  was  soon  interrupted  by  the  noise 
made  by  the  boys  in  the  porch  quarrelling.  This 
was  promptly  quelled  by  the  old  gentleman's  strid- 
ing among  the  urchins,  cuffing  and  boxing  them 
soundly,  and  shouting,  "  Be  still,  you  little  savages, 
or  I'll  knock  your  heads  off."  Order  restored,  the 
preacher  tried  to  go  on  again,  but  now  there  came  a 
noise  from  the  female  side  of  the  house.  A  boy  four 
or  five  years  old,  who  was  seated  in  his  mother's  lap. 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  73 

was  engaged,  in  earnest  whispering  with  her.  He 
said,  "  Mammy,  mammy,"  and  she,  "  Hush  !"  At 
length  he  seemed  to  think  that  endurance  had  ceased 
to  be  a  virtue,  and  bawled  out,  "  I  say,  mammy, 
scratch  my  back."  She,  in  fiery  indignation,  boxed 
his  ears  soundly  ;  whereat,  he  set  up  a  terrible  yell. 
She  rose,  and  dragging  her  promising  offspring  after 
her,  forced  her  way  among  the  auditors,  rushed  by 
the  preacher  in  the  door,  and  at  once  began  the  satis- 
factory operation  of  trouncing,  she  shouting  "  hush  !" 
and  he,  "  I  won't — scratch  my  back !"  This  last 
attack  was  too  much  for  the  preacher's  equanimity, 
and  the  excited  state  of  his  risibles  obliged  him  to 
close  the  services  on  the  instant. 

"With  abundant  store  of  such  reminiscences  and 
anecdotes,  we  beguiled  the  tedious  way.  As  the  even- 
ing of  the  first  day  closed  upon  us,  we  reached  a  ham- 
let where  we  were  hospitably  lodged  at  the  house  of  a 
brother  in  the  church.  Our  host  was  from  Connecti- 
cut, and  began  at  once  to  importune  our  elders  for  a 
sermon  to  the  people  that  evening,  promising  them 
a  congregation  of  as  many  souls  as  Noah  had  in  the 
ark.  But  they  declined,  pleading  fatigue  as  an 
excuse,  saying,  however,  "  Here  are  the  boys,  either 
of  them  will  preach." 

"What,  them?"  said  our  landlord,  contempt- 
uously ;  "  do  you  suppose  the  people  in  these  parts 
would  come  out  to  hear  such  younkers  hold  forth?" 

4 


74  TEN   YEARS    OF   PEEACIIEE-LIFE  ;    OK, 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,  Billy,  "  said  my  junior  friend, 
as  he  went  to  the  stable  to  put  up  the  horses  ;  "  that 
fellow's  got  no  more  manners  than  a  bear.  It's  my 
opinion  that  he  came  to  this  country  peddling  tin- 
ware and  wooden  nutmegs.  I  reckon  the  time  will 
come  when  they'll  be  glad  to  hear  us  as  well  as 
Uncle  Peter  and  Jonathan." 

To  know  what  the  pleasures  of  conference  are,  a 
man  must  have  been  a  western  Methodist  preacher. 
A  lii'e  of  incessant  toil,  privation,  hardship,  and 
poverty,  borne  bravely  and  cheerfully  for  a  single 
sublime  object,  breeds  a  unity  of  feeling  and  a 
warmth  of  affection  not  elsewhere  equalled.  Like 
the  early  Christians,  they  regard  themselves  as  the 
soldiers  of  the  cross;  and  the  militant  sentiment  is 
strengthened  by  their  out-door  life,  and  their  fre- 
quent exposure  to  danger.  Xo  dragoons  are  better 
horsemen,  or  are  more  in  the  saddle.  They  delight 
to  describe  life  as  a  warfare,  death  as  the  last  conflict 
wherein  the  Christian  places  his  foot  upon  the  neck 
of  his  last  adversary,  and  with  a  shout  of  victory 
rises  to  the  scene  of  a  triumphant  coronation.  One 
of  their  favorite  hymns  commences  : 

"  Soldiers  of  Christ,  arise, 
And  put  your  armor  on, 
Strong  in  the  strength  which  God  supplies 
Through  his  eternal  Son." 

Indeed,  there  is  very  much  in  the  sacred  lyrics  of 


CHAPTERS    FEOM    AN    ATTTOBIOGEAJ'nY.  75 

Charles  "Wesley  to  nourish  this  martial  spirit.  The 
coming  together  of  the  preachers  at  conference  is, 
therefore,  much  like  the  gathering  of  an  army  after 
a  campaign.  Old  friendships  are  strengthened,  old 
associations  vivified.  Trials  and  triumphs  are  re- 
counted, and  messages  are  brought  from  one  and 
another  brother  who  has  died  during  the  year,  or,  as 
they  are  accustomed  to  say,  "  fallen  in  the  field  with 
his  face  Zionward."  "Tell  my  brethren  at  the  con- 
ference," said  one  of  these  saintly  warriors,  "  that  I 
died  at  my  post."  The  conference,  which  lasts 
about  a  week,  is,  in  truth,  a  feast  of  reason  and  a 
flow  of  soul.  The  preachers  are  billeted  upon  the 
members  of  the  church  and  other  citizens  who  are 
willing  to  entertain  them.  And  the  season  is  ever 
one  of  open-handed  hospitality.  And  outside  of  busi- 
ness hours,  the  order  of  the  day  is  good  cheer,  story- 
telling, friendly  chat — in  a  word,  the  comfort  and 
delight  of  body  and  soul.  Here  they  are  a  band  of 
toil-worn  veterans  and  eager  young  soldiers,  mar- 
tialling  for  review,  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  one 
week's  holiday  for  the  year.  Their  salary  is  a  hun- 
dred dollars  per  annum,  and  many  of  them  have 
received  not  more  than  one-third  or  one-half  that 
sum ;  but  from  the  manner  and  amount  of  their 
offerings  to  the  various  benevolent  institutions  of  the 
church,  you  would  suppose  them  wealthy  men.  Let 
a  story  be  told  of  a  brother  having  lost  his  horse,  and 


76  TEN    TEAKS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE      OR, 

having  no  money  to  buy  another,  many  a  man  will 
instantly  surrender  his  last  cent  to  purchase  a  new 
one.  The  widows  and  orphans  of  deceased  brethren 
are  ever  remembered  out  of  the  scanty  stock.  The 
esprit  de  corps  could  not  be  stronger,  yet  personal 
independence  and  self  respect  are  defended  as  sacred 
rights. 

I  must  describe  one  of  these  men,  the  He  v.  "Wilson 
Pitner,  familiarly  known  among  his  associates  as 
"Wils  Pitner.  Swarthy  as  an  Indian,  he  was  lithe  and 
strong  as  one.  Born  and  bred  upon  the  border,  he 
was  thoroughly  versed  in  the  whole  range  of  wood- 
craft. He  could  pick  a  squirrel's  eye  with  rifle-ball 
at  a  hundred  yards,  or  guide  you  with  unerring  pre- 
cision across  an  untracked  prairie.  ~No  trapper  was 
more  skilled  in  snaring  the  muskrat  and  otter,  and 
his  line  from  the  flowery  meads,  where  the  bee  col- 
lected his  honied  sweets,  to  the  hive  in  the  hollow 
tice  where  they  were  stored,  was  as  true  as  the 
insect's  own.  Books  had  done  little  for  him,  but 
nature  had  taught  him  many  a  lesson,  deep  and  long. 
With  a  powerful  voice,  capable  of  almost  every 
modulation,  a  brilliant  eye,  a  vivid  nature,  and 
a  soul  deeply  in  earnest,  he  would  sometimes  pour 
forth  torrents  of  fiery  eloquence  that  no  human  sen- 
sibilities could  withstand.  Let  him  have  "  liberty  " 
as  it  was  styled — or  to  employ  its  equivalent,  let  him 
"  swing  clear  "  in  a  treatment  of  a  subject  with  which 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.       77 

he  was  familiar,  technically  called  "  a  sugar  stick," — 
and  not  Christmas  Evans,  the  great  Welsh  orator, 
could  surpass  him  in  the  power  of  his  popular 
appeals.  It  could  not  be  expected  that  his  exposi- 
tions would  always  be  as  correct  as  they  were  inde- 
pendent. He  once  said,  "  My  brethren,  the  Apostle 
Paul  declares  that  faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  Mr. 
"Wesley  says  so  too  ;  but  I  take  liberty  of  differing 
from  both  these  gentleman.  I  knew  a  man  once 
who  was  so  deaf  that  he  could  not  hear  the  loudest 
thunder,  and  he  had  more  faith  than  anybody  I  ever 
saw.  Now,  did  his  faith  come  by  hearing?"  He 
was  subject  to  fits  of  great  depression.  On  recover- 
ing from  one  of  these,  a  friend  asked  him  how  he 
felt  on  coming  out  of  the  fog  and  gloom.  "  Feel !" 
he  exclaimed,  "  why,  as  if  my  soul  were  running 
horse-races  in  the  grand  prairie  of  divinity."  In 
preaching,  he  once  said :  "  I  look  upon  myself  as  less 
than  the  least  of  all  saints ;  and  when  I  hear  the 
great  sermons  preached  by  the  presiding  elders  and 
bishops,  I  feel  so  badly  about  my  own  ignorance  and 
weakness  that  I  think  I  will  never  open  my  lips 
asain.  But  I  take  courage  when  I  remember  what 
the  Bible  says  :  '  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by 
my  spirit,  saith  the  Lord.'  We  have  this  'treasure  in 
earthen  vessels,  that  the  excellency  of  the  power  may 
be  of  God  and  not  of  us.'  I  have  been  riding  through 
the  woods,  before  now,  and  seen  a  poor  little  grape- 


78  TEN    YEAKS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OE, 

vine  that  had  crawled  along  the  earth  to  the  roots  of 
a  big  tree,  and  with  its  feeble  tendrils  was  holding  on 
and  trying  to  climb  up  the  sides  of  the  mighty 
monarch  of  the  forests.  Then  I  have  seen  another 
vine,  as  big  around  as  a  man's  arm,  and  lifting  its 
head  far  in  the  light  it  stood  as  noble  and  stately  as 
if  it  had  been  a  tree  itself.  But  if  you  look  close, 
you  would  see  that  it  still  leaned  for  support  to 
the  branches  of  the  tree,  and  that  its  arms  still  clung 
to  the  mighty  giant.  It  had  climbed  up  as  the  little 
one  was  now  trying  to  do  ;  and  strong  as  it  now 
seemed,  if  it  wrere  to  let  go  only  for  a  moment,  it 
would  fall  and  be  snapped  in  pieces,  its  strength  and 
protection,  like  the  hope  and  promise  of  the  little  one, 
is  the  tree.  So,"  he  continued,  "  frail  and  weak  as 
I  am,  I  still  strive  to  cling  to  that  tree,  on  which  all 
the  great  ones  of  the  earth  must  rest,  and  without 
which  they  are  nothing  ;  a  tree  whose  roots  underlie 
all  things — whose  trunk  is  the  strength  of  the  uni- 
verse, its  branches  are  the  heavens,  its  blossoms 
are  the  stars  ;  its  whispering  breath  is  the  joy  of 
souls  redeemed,  but  its  shadow  is  the  night  of  the 
damned." 

Into  the  companionship  of  such  men  was  I  received 
as  a  preacher  on  trial  in  the  travelling  connection  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  on  the  day  that  I 
completed  my  twentieth  year.  Right  heartily  was 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship  given  by  the  brave  and 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  79 

hardy  band  of  pioneer  preachers  whose  confidence 
and  esteem  I  coveted  more  than  that  of  generals  and 
kings. 

The  last  scene  of  the  conference  is  one  peculiarly 
touching  and  solemn.  A  hundred  men,  many  of 
them  married,  have  surrendered  their  right  of  choice, 
and  placed  their  lives  and  fortunes,  under  God,  at 
the  disposal  of  a  single  man — the  bishop.  He,  with 
the  wisdom  of  an  overseer,  with  the  simplicity  and 
sincerity  that  spring  from  the  abiding  consciousness 
that  his  motives  and  decisions  are  ever  in  the  great 
Taskmaster's  eye,  and  with  all  a  father's  tenderness 
for  the  preachers  and  the  people  intrusted  to  him — 
he  has  considered  the  claims  of  the  men  and  of  the 
work,  and  is  now  to  read  the  weighty  decision.  At 
his  word  they  are  to  go  forth  to  their  fields  of  duty 
and  of  danger,  accepting  his  arbitrament  as  the 
interpretation  of  providence.  "Whither  they  are  to 
go  they  know  not,  nor  what  shall  betide  them  ;  only 
of  this  are  they  persuaded,  that  a  life  of  voluntary 
poverty  and  hardship  awaits  them,  and,  probably,  a 
home  in  some  pestilential  river  bottom,  or  in  a  region 
where  fever  stalks  as  a  strong  man  armed.  Never- 
theless, "  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  them,''  and 
they  count  not  their  lives  dear  unto  themselves  so  that 
tliev  may  finish  their  course  with  joy,  and  the  minis- 
try which  they  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to 
testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.     Most  of  them, 


80  TEN    YEARS   OF    PREACHER-LIFE;     OR, 

are  vigorous,  robust,  and  athletic,  yet  it  is  almost 
certain  that  they  will  all  never  look  upon  each  other's 
faces  again  until  they  stand  upon  Mount  Zion  in  the 
general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born,  which 
are  written  in  heaven.  The  prayer  has  been  offered 
which  commends  them  and  their  families  to  God 
and  to  the  word  of  his  grace,  which  is  able  to  build 
them  up  and  to  give  them  "an  inheritance  among  all 
them  which  are  sanctified  ;"  and  in  the  midst  of  a 
profound  silence  the  bishop  reads  out  the  appoint- 
ments. A  new  year  has  begun,  the  week's  holiday 
is  over.  Hands  are  shaken,  farewell  is  said,  and  ere 
an  hour  has  passed  most  of  the  men  are  on  the  road 
to  their  new  posts. 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.       81 


CHAPTER    VIII 


BRUSH   COLLEGE. 


As  lie  was  reading,  the  bishop  had  announced  "Win- 
chester circuit — Norman  Allen,  "William  II.  Mil  burn." 
"The  work"  embraced  Scott  county,  lying  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Illinois  River  sixty  or  seventy 
miles  above  its  mouth.  There  were  about  thirty 
preaching  places ;  a  few  of  them  chapels,  more  log 
schoolhouses,  but  the  greater  number  were  private 
dwellings.  It  required  four  weeks  to  make  the  round, 
a  ride  of  nearly  three  hundred  miles,  and  demanding 
on  an  average  a  sermon  a  day.  After  the  public 
duties  of  the  ministry  are  performed,  it  is  expected 
that  the  preacher  shall  meet  the  members  of  the 
society  in  private,  and  converse  with  each  one  on 
his  spiritual  concerns.  In  his  twelve  or  thirteen 
rounds  during  the  year,  if  he  be  a  man  of  active  and 
enterprising  habits,  he  will  almost  inevitably  make 
the  acquaintance  of  every  man,  woman  and  child  in 
the  county,  and  break  bread  at  the  tables  of  the 
great  majority  of  the  hospitable  householders.  The 
4*. 


62  TEN   YEAKS   OF   PUEACIIER-LEFE  J    OK, 

school  of  human  nature  thus  opened  to  him,  the  con- 
stant free  and  easy  intercourse  with  all  classes  and 
conditions  of  persons  will  teach  the  man  of  open 
mind  many  a  lesson  of  invaluable  knowledge  and 
wisdom :  so  that  while  his  opportunity  for  the  study 
of  books  may  be  small,  a  rich  compensation  is 
afforded  him  in  this  first-hand  acquaintance  with  men 
and  life.  A  new  country  demands  courage,  decision, 
self-reliance,  habits  of  keen  and  sleepless  observation, 
a  fertility  of  resources  and  a  versatile  employment 
of  various  powers  to  suit  changing  occasions,  and 
the  various  well  defined  characters  you  meet.  You 
must  have  eyes  and  ears,  hands  and  feet,  an 
unshaken  fortitude,  and  a  will  to  turn  your  hand  to 
anything  that  is  honest  and  of  good  report.  The 
terms  of  tuition  in  Brush  College  and  Swamp  Uni- 
versity are  high,  the  course  of  study  hard,  the 
examinations  frequent  and  severe,  but  the  schooling 
is  capital. 

I  shall  never  forget  a  word  of  wholesome  counsel 
given  me  by  an  old  preacher,  as  I  was  starting  in 
my  new  career:  "Billy,  my  son,  never  miss  an 
appointment.  Bide  all  day  in  any  storm,  or  all 
night  if  necessary,  ford  creeks,  swim  rivers,  run  the 
risk  of  breaking  your  neck,  or  getting  drowned,  but 
never  miss  an  appointment,  and  never  be  behind 
the  time." 

This  same  veteran  had  rather  an  odd  way  of  mak- 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  83 

ing  the  young  preacher  at  home  in  his  house. 
"Now  brother,"  he  •would  say,  "yonder  are  the 
stable  and  corn-crib  for  your  horse ;  here  is  a  room 
and  a  plate  for  yourself;  but  if  I  ever  catch  you 
making  sheeps'  eyes  at  my  girls,  remember  there's 
the  door,  and  never  enter  it  again.  One  woman  in  a 
family  is  enough  for  the  wife  of  a  Methodist  preacher. 
It  is  hard  for  us,  but  a  heap  harder  for  them." 

Among  Mr.  Wesley's  characteristic  rules  for  the 
government  of  the  young  preachers  are  the  follow- 
ing ;  and  to  these,  as  far  as  practicable,  it  was 
expected  we  should  yield  unswerving  obedience  : 

1.  Be  diligent.  Never  be  unemployed  a  moment; 
never  be  triflingly  employed.  Never  while  away 
time  ;  neither  spend  any  more  time  at  any  place 
than  is  strictly  necessary. 

2.  Be  serious.  Let  your  motto  be,  holiness  to  the 
Lord.  Avoid  all  lightness,  jesting  and  foolish  talk- 
ing- 

3.  Converse  sparingly  and  cautiously  with  women, 
particularly  with  young  women,  in  private. 

4.  Take  no  step  toward  marriage,  without  first 
acquainting  us  with  your  design. 

5.  Believe  evil  of  no  one ;  unless  you  see  it  done, 
take  heed  how  you  credit  it.  Put  the  best  construc- 
tion upon  everything ;  you  know  the  judge  is  always 
supposed  to  be  on  the  prisoner's  side. 


84  TEN   YEARS   OF   PKEACHEK-LIFE  ;    OK, 

G.  Speak  evil  of  no  one ;  else  your  word,  especi- 
ally, would  eat  as  doth  a  canker.  Keep  your 
tliouglits  within  your  own  breast,  till  you  come  to 
the  person  concerned. 

7.  Tell  every  one  what  you  think  wrong  in  him, 
and  that  plainly,  and  as  soon  as  may  be,  else  it  will 
fester  in  your  heart.  Make  all  haste  to  cast  the  fire 
out  of  your  bosom. 

8.  Do  not  affect  the  gentleman.  You  have  no 
more  to  do  with  this  character  than  with  that  of  a 
dancing-master.  A  preacher  of  the  gospel  is  the 
servant  of  all. 

9.  Be  ashamed  of  nothing  but  sin  ;  not  of  fetching 
wood  (if  time  permit),  or  of  drawing  water ;  not  of 
cleaning  your  own  shoes,  or  your  neighbor's. 

10.  Be  punctual.  Do  everything  exactly  at  the 
time ;  and  in  general  do  not  mend  our  rules,  but 
keep  them ;  not  for  wrath,  bat  for  conscience'  sake. 

11.  You  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  save  souls. 
Therefore  spend  and  be  spent  in  this  work.  And  go 
always  not  only  to  those  who  want  you,  but  to  those 
who  want  you  most. 

12.  Act  in  all  things  not  according  to  your  own 
will,  but  as  a  son  in  the  gospel.  As  such  it  is  your 
part  to  employ  your  time  in  the  manner  which  we 
direct;  partly  in  preaching  and  visiting  the  flock 
from  house  to  house ;  partly  in  reading,  meditation 
and  prayer.    Above  all,  if  you  labor  with  us  in  our 


CHAPTERS    FKOM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  85 

Lord's  vineyard,  it  is  needful  that  you  should  do 
that  part  of  the  work  which  we  advise,  at  those 
times  and  places  which  we  judge  most  for  his 
glory. 

Minding  these  things,  and  walking  by  these  rules, 
the  frontier  preacher,  however  arduous  and  manifold 
his  toils,  could  redeem  a  portion  of  every  day,  for 
the  study  of  good  books ;  and  as  it  was  one  of  his 
duties  to  carry  his  saddle-bags  full  of  them,  that  he 
might  dispose  of  them  to  his  parishioners,  he  ever 
had  a  library  near  at  hand.  Hunger  is  the  best 
sauce  for  food.  Crowded  dainties  and  groaning 
boards  seldom  yield  the  most  satisfying  repast.  A 
hearty  appetite  will  make  homely  fare  more  agreea- 
ble, delicious,  and  serviceable  than  all  that  French 
cookery  can  do  for  the  palate  of  the  dyspeptic  gour- 
mand. To  most  men  the  multitudinous  array  of  a 
great  library  is  like  the  surfeit  of  a  feast,  and  exces- 
sive reading  for  reading's  sake  alone  will  as  surely 
produce  an  overloaded  or  paralyzed  memory  and 
mental  indigestion,  as  a  continued  indulgence  in  the 
pleasures  of  the  table,  will  issue  in  plethora  and 
gout.  Books  yield  the  most  exquisite  enjoyment  to 
him  who  rises  early  and  sits  up  late,  and  eagerly 
snatches  every  instant  that  can  be  taken  from  more 
pressing  affairs  for  increasing  his  acquaintance 
with  them.     The  delight  of  a  traveller  in  the  wil- 


86  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 

derness  as  lie  readies  the  cooling  shade  and  refresh- 
ing spring,  is  only  equalled  by  the  joy  of  the  earnest 
student  who  redeems  brief  intervals  from  daily  toil 
for  communion  with  his  beloved  oracle. 

That  reading  is  most  valuable  which  is  pursued 
with  a  definite  object;  and  knowledge  is  beneficial 
as  it  can  be  assimilated.  The  mind  grows  by  use ; 
and  its  finest  powers  are  called  into  play  by  the 
demand  for  public  speaking  at  once  premeditated 
and  yet  improvised.  The  effort  of  the  mind  to  pro- 
ject and  crystallize  thought  in  language,  if  faithfully 
performed,  must  tend  to  increase  the  force  and 
clearness  of  the  mind  itself.  A  man's  culture  is 
broader  and  better  when  sought  not  for  himself 
alone,  but  also  for  the  benefit  of  others ;  with  their 
wants  as  well  as  his  own  in  his  eye.  The  truth  by 
which  a  man  converts  his  fellow,  acquires  new  lustre 
and  glory  for  the  man  himself.  The  preaching  of 
Christ  crucified,  though  it  be  to  the  Jews  a  stum- 
bling-block, and  to  the  Greeks  foolishness,  is  to  them 
that  believe,  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of 
God.  The  pulpit, for  the  man  who  occupies  it,  may 
be  the  noblest  seminary  ever  erected.  The  sub- 
limity of  its  themes,  their  awful  yet  beautiful  rela- 
tions, the  majesty  with  which  they  invest  every 
human  soul  and  the  grandeur  which  they  attach  to 
the  issues  of  life,  cannot  fail,  if  truly  believed,  to 
impart  a  masculine  vigor  to  the  intellect  as  well  as  a 


CHAPTEES   FKOM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  87 

divine  benediction  to  the  heart.  It  is  a  theatre 
where  scope  is  found  for  every  faculty,  and  use  for 
every  endowment.  It  is  an  altar  where  memory 
may  heap  its  treasured  offerings,  and  the  divinely 
kindled  imagination  may  consume  them  with  its 
lambent  flame  of  radiance  and  the  odor  of  a  sweet 
incense.  Well  might  the  simple  platform  on  which 
an  Athanasius,  a  Basil,  an  Ambrose,  or  an  Augustine 
stood,  expand  itself  into  the  bright  consummate 
flower  of  human  art.  What  are  those  most  trium- 
phant exhibitions  of  genius,  the  cathedrals  wrought 
by  the  devout  builders  and  masons  of  the  middle 
ages,  those  piles  whose 

"  High  embowered  roof, 
With  antique  pil'ars  massy  proof, 
And  storied  windows  richly  dight, 
Casting  a  dim  religious  light" — 

What  are  they  but  becoming  shrines  for  the  pulpits, 
where  a  Saint  Bernard  of  Clairvaux,  or  a  Saint  Francis 
might  stand  to  stir  the  hearts  of  the  people  as  with 
the  sound  of  a  trumpet?  When  such  men  as  the 
golden-mouthed  John  of  Antioch,  and  George  White- 
field  occupy  it,  what  throne  of  earth  can  equal  the 
pulpit  in  ascendency  over  the  thoughts  and  affec- 
tions of  mankind?  When  the  people  look  up  and 
listen  to  such  men  as  Robert  Hall  and  William 
Archer  Butler,  it  is  with  them  as  with  Ilermon,  on 


88  TEN   YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE ;    OE, 

which  the  dew  descended,  refreshing  every  living 
plant,  and  reviving  them  that  were  ready  to  perish. 
Human  nature  assumes  its  finest  prerogative  when 
engaged  in  earnest  manly  speech  reproving  the 
wrong-doer,  inciting  the  insolent,  encouraging  the 
faint-hearted,  and  soothing  the  weary  and  broken  in 
spirit ;  it  reaches  its  loftiest  height  of  dignity  when 
it  stands  as  an  ambassador  for  Christ. 

My  first  round  upon  the  circuit  began  in  that  most 
gorgeous  season  of  the  year,  the  Indian  summer. 
The  rich,  mellowed  sunshine  stole  lazily  through  the 
softening  haze  that  filled  the  atmosphere,  crowning 
corn-fields  and  orchards  and  prairies  with  a  golden 
glory  unparalleled  at  any  other  time.  The  groves 
girt  with  the  brave  pomp  of  the  changing  leaf, 
seemed  to  have  borrowed  the  splendor  of  the  rain- 
bow to  wear  it  as  a  scarf.  The  warm  dreamy  days 
were  followed  by  chill  lengthening  nights,  which  were 
illumined  by  magnificent  spectacles,  visible  only  in 
the  wild  "West.  When  the  hand  of  the  frost  has  done 
its  first  work  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  scathing  and 
blasting  the  long  grass  of  the  prairies,  rendering  it 
dry  and  combustible  as  tinder,  the  settlers,  following 
the  example  of  the  Indians,  arc  accustomed  to  fire 
it,  not  so  much  now  for  the  sake  of  the  game,  as 
from  the  notion  that  the  conflagration  will  enrich 
the  next  summer's  crop  of  grass.  As  your  road 
skirts  the  edge  of  the  timber,  amid  the  deepening 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  89 

shades  of  the  twilight,  you  see  a  single  fiery  column 
rising,  far  out  in  the  sea  of  blighted  verdure. 
From  a  column  it  changes  to  a  pyramid  of  flame. 
The  wind  rises,  the  pyramid  is  transformed  into  a 
legion  of  fiery  serpents,  that  writhe,  and  leap,  and 
dart  onward,  their  heads  high  in  air,  waving  and 
bending  forward,  then  tossing  themselves  erect  as  if 
preparing  for  a  new  and  more  desperate  spring.  An 
embattled  host  of  dragons,  panoplied  with  a  mail 
almost  too  bright  to  look  upon,  bannered  with 
wreathed  folds  of  smoke  like  breathings  of  the  pit, 
their  errand  seems  to  be  the  destruction  of  the 
world.  They  are  swift  as  the  fleetest  horse,  and 
their  sound  is  like  the  sweep  of  the  tempest.  The 
dragons  disappear,  and  in  their  place  stands  a  wall 
of  fire,  stretching  across  the  plain  from  one  verge  of 
the  horizon  to  the  other,  a  wall  whose  presence  is 
the  touch  of  death  to  every  living  thing.  The  next 
day,  your  way  lies  by  the  side  of  a  waste,  apparently 
boundless  as  the  ocean,  black  as  the  waters  of  Ache- 
ron, and  canopied  with  clouds  of  smoke. 

Usually  I  had  the  escort  of  a  friend  from  one  appoint- 
ment to  the  next,  that  my  horse  and  I,  between  us, 
might  learn  the  way.  Rising  early  in  the  morning, 
breakfasting  for  six  or  seven  months  in  the  year  by 
candlelight  or  the  blaze  of  "  pine-knots,"  the  meal 
having  always  been  preceded  by  reading  or  reciting  a 
chapter  from  the  Bible,  singing  and  prayer,  we  were 


90  TEN    YEAKS    OF    PKEACHEE-LIFE ;     OE, 

prepared  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  day  with 
the  rising  of  the  sun.  My  noble  "  Charley  "  was 
always  attended  to,  fed,  curried  and  brushed,  with 
scrupulous  care.  From  one  to  three  hours  were 
then  passed  in  study,  and  then  to  horse  for  the 
preaching  place  of  the  day.  A  ride  of  from  five  to 
twenty  miles  brought  me  to  this  by  noon.  In  busy 
seasons  of  the  year,  when  the  people  were  engaged 
in  ploughing,  planting,  harvesting,  or  gathering 
corn  fodder,  a  week-day  congregation  would  some- 
times consist  of  three  or  four  aged  sisters.  Trotting 
gaily  along  toward  the  end  of  his  ride,  the  young 
preacher  would  overtake  two  or  three  of  these  matrons 
engaged  in  quiet  discourse,  knitting  and  smoking  as 
they  walked  on  their  way  to  the  meeting.  Spring- 
ing to  the  ground,  there  is  a  cordial  shaking  of  hands 
all  round,  and  followed  by  the  horse,  he  trudges 
along  with,  them  to  the  log  cabin,  where  the  services 
are  to  take  place.  The  weather,  the  health  of  their 
families,  eacli  member  being  asked  after  by  name, 
the  news  of  the  neighborhood,  the  state  or  prospect 
of  the  crops,  and  the  condition  of  the  church  are  all 
discussed,  until  they  reach  their  destination. 

The  preacher  hastens  to  the  stable  to  "put  up"  his 
horse,  and  then  with  saddlebags  on  arm  approaches 
the  house,  where  the  good  wife  stands  in  the  door  to 
greet  him.  There  is  another  shaking  of  hands  and 
another  dish  of  chat,  until  the  hour  appointed,  when 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  91 

he  withdraws  from  the  spacious  fireplace  and  after  a 
brief  meditation  commences  the  service.  Hymns, 
prayers  and  sermon  are  gone  through  as  faithfully 
as  if  the  congregation  were  composed  of  a  thousand. 
His  morning  study  and  ride  have  furnished  him 
material  and  opportunity  for  reflection.  He  has 
thrown  his  thoughts  into  the  best  order  he  could 
and  now  interprets  them  as  he  is  best  able.  With 
the  floor  for  a  rostrum  and  his  chair  for  a  desk,  he 
may  draw  as  close  to  his  auditors  as  he  pleases ;  and 
in  the  urgent  warmth  of  his  appeals  he  will  some- 
times find  himself  gesticulating  just  under  their 
spectacles  and  noses.  If  he  has  succeeded  to  their 
satisfaction,  he  may  hear  his  motherly  auditors,  as 
they  take  their  pipes  from  the  chimney-corner  at  the 
close  of  the  exercises,  saying  to  one  another :  "  Our 
young  preacher  is  a  powerful  piert.'  "Little  fel- 
low, isn't  he  V  This  translated  into  the  polite  phrase- 
ology of  the  city  means  "  eloquent  sermon !"  "  pro- 
found discourse !"  "  able  and  masterly  argument !" 

While  dinner  is  preparing  at  the  hearth  by  which 
they  are  seated,  the  good  dame  brings  out  from 
underneath  the  bedstead,  her  only  cupboard,  a  tin- 
cup  full  of  nicely  frosted  persimmons  or  some  other 
delicacy,  and  presents  them  to  her  young  favorite. 
The  dinner  of  "  hog,  hominy  and  pone,"  or  of  fried 
chicken  and  saleratus  biscuit,  to  which  is  added  a 
cup    of useed-tick" coffee,  is   disposed  of:    and  the 


92  TEN   TEAKS   OF   PKEACHEK-LIFE  ;    OE, 

remainder  of  the  day  is  passed,  in  study,  and  in 
visits  to  the  neighbors.  At  night-fall,  all  hands 
gather  home  from  their  work;  and  after  a  substantial 
meal,  a  general  talk,  and  evening  prayers,  all  get 
ready  for  bed.  Mattresses  are  spread  upon  the  floor 
and  eight,  ten,  or  twenty  people,  old  and  young, 
male  and  female,  stow  themselves  away  under  cover 
in  one  room ;  how,  I  never  could  precisely  tell. 
Sometimes  there  is  a  kind  of  loft,  where  amid  all 
sorts  of  odds  and  ends,  broken  tools,  strings  of 
onions,  piles  of  potatoes — a  bed  is  made  for  the 
young  divine.  I  think,  however,  that  I  preferred 
the  sleeping  down  stairs ;  for  in  the  upper  apartment 
I  have  often  been  covered  by  the  snow,  or  drenched 
by  the  rain,  which  descended  upon  me  through  open- 
ings in  the  roof.  The  sermon  studied  and  preached 
to-day,  is  tried  again  to-morrow,  and  repeated  the 
third  day ;  and  thus  one  well-prepared  discourse  is 
ready  for  Sunday,  when  the  congregations  are  much 
larger.  The  other  three  working-days  of  the  week, 
will  furnish  the  preacher  with  a  second  sermon. 
Language  is  the  test  of  thought.  What  you  really 
know  you  can  tell ;  and  there  is  no  better  training 
for  a  young  minister,  than  daily  preaching  in  log- 
cabins  and  school-houses. 

A  prominent  divine  of  another  denomination, 
meaning  to  be  slightly  sarcastic,  once  said  to  my 
old  friend  Mr.  Cartwright :  "  How  is  it  that  you  have . 


CHAPTERS   FROM   Atf   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  93 

no  doctors  of  divinity  in  jour  denomination?" 
"  Our  divinity  is  not  sick  and  don't  need  doctor- 
ing," said  the  sturdy  backwoodsman.  Assuming  a 
graver  tone,  lie  then  said :  "  Tell  me  how  it  is,  that 
you  take  so  many  men  from  the  plough-tail,  the  forge 
and  the  carpenter's  shop,  and  in  a  few  years  make 
excellent  preachers  of  them,  without  sending  them 
to  college  or  theological  seminary  ?" — "  "We  old  ones 
tell  the  young  ones  all  we  know,  and  they  try  to  tell 
the  people  and  keep  on  trying  till  they  can ;  that's 
our  college  course,"  was  the  answer. 

Sunday's  work  was  the  hardest  of  the  week,  for  it 
was  frequently  necessary  to  preach  three  times,  to 
lead  three  classes,  and  to  ride  from  thirty-five  to 
forty  miles. 

There  was  work  enough  of  all  sorts  to  be  done. 
The  voice  to  be  drilled  to  an  easy  obedience,  and  the 
development  of  all  its  tones.  Large  portions  of  the 
Bible  and  hymn-book  must  be  committed  to  memory, 
for  all  my  reading  in  public  had  to  be  done  by  rote. 
Fresh  stores  of  knowledge  for  daily  use  had  to  be 
added  daily.  I  had  to  learn  all  the  roads  and  near 
cuts,  the  landmarks,  bridges,  and  fords,  as  well  as 
the  names  of  all  the  men,  women  and  children  in 
the  circuit ;  and  besides,  not  the  least  difficult  of 
the  lessons,  was  to  learn  to  eat  anything,  every- 
thing, and  sometimes  to  do  without  eating  at  all; 
to  learn  to  sleep  in  any  place  and  every  place,  with 


94  TEN   YEARS   OF   rKEACIIEK-LIFE ;    OK, 

or  without  beds  and  covering;  and  to  ride  all  day 
wet  to  the  skin,  and  then  get  up  in  the  evening  and 
preach  without  changing  my  clothes. 

To  my  other  labors  were  added  those  of  a  choris- 
ter ;  for  it  often  happens  that  there  is  not  a  man  or 
woman  in  the  congregation  that  can  or  will  start  a 
tune.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  be  reduced  to  the  strait 
of  an  old  parson,  that  I  once  heard  of,  who  in  giving 
out  his  hymn  said :  "  I  would  thank  some  brother 
present  to  raise  the  tune,  and  then  tote  it."  A  dead 
silence  ensued.  It  was  at  length  broken  by  a  mem- 
ber of  the  congregation,  saying:  "I  reckon  you'll 
be  dreadful  sharp,  if  you  trap  anybody  here  in  that 
way."  I  therefore  armed  myself  with  three  tunes — 
a  long,  short  and  common  metre ;  and  when  there 
threatened  to  be  a  "  flash  in  the  pan,"  from  the  musi- 
cal inability  of  my  audience,  I  would  fire  away  with 
one  of  these.  But  unfortunately,  sometimes  I  would 
pull  a  trigger  and  the  wrong  barrel  would  go  off, 
and  great  was  my  confusion  time  and  again  at  hitch- 
ing a  long  metre  tune  to  short  metre  words. 

Sometimes  days  were  passed  in  a  solitude  as  deep 
and  unbroken  as  that  of  the  African  deserts.  Un- 
der such  conditions,  a  man  must  be  on  prodigiously 
good  terms  with  himself,  or  have  a  vast  deal  to  think 
about  and  observe,  or  he  will  occasionally  be  tired 
of  his  own  company.  For  such  times,  however,  I 
usually  had  an  unfailing  resource  in  my  Bible  and 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  95 

hymn-book ;  checking  my  horse  until  I  had  spelled 
out  a  verse,  I  started  again  and  trotted  along  until 
this  was  firmly  fixed  in  the  memory.  This  operation, 
repeated  for  hours  together,  "week  after  week,  will  he 
likely  to  cultivate  a  man's  powers  of  recollection, 
and  furnish  him  with  an  ample  store  of  sacred  and 
lyrical  language ;  when  the  mind  wearied  of  this, 
new  occupation  was  found  in  exploding  the  radical 
sounds  of  speech,  or,  "barking"  as  college-boys  call 
it.  This  was  followed  up  by  practising  the  articula- 
tion of  the  most  difficult  words  in  the  language. 
Then  all  the  faculties  would  be  summoned,  for  the 
composition  and  delivery  of  a  discourse,  in  the  hear- 
ing of  my  faithful  charger,  who  listened  with  unflag- 
ging interest.  My  lonely  wayfarings  were  now  and 
then  cheered  by  the  companionship  of  an  older  and 
more  experienced  preacher  friend  ;  who  would  come 
to  take  a  week  or  two's  round  and  to  preach  with  me 
"  time  about."  One  of  these  in  whom  I  greatly  de- 
lighted and  who  afforded  me  endless  entertainment, 
by  the  variety  of  his  knowledge,  as  well  as  by  the 
singularity  of  his  expressions,  must  have,  if  not  a 
description,  at  least  a  passing  mention.  From  his 
youth  he  had  been  a  voracious  reader  and  was 
thoroughly  booked  in  all  the  standards,  especially  of 
theology  and  poetry.  It  was  evident  that  in  his 
early  life,  his  study  of  Johnson  had  only  been 
equalled  by  his  admiration  of  him.     His  style  had 


96  TEN   TEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE ;    OR, 

been  moulded  by  that  of  the  great  lexicographer ; 
and  I  suppose    that  the  Johnsonian    manner    has 
never  been  carried  to  a  higher  pitch,  than  by  my 
friend.     His  sermons   were    most    elaborately  pre- 
pared, and  delivered  with  the  greatest  fluency  and 
unction.     He  poured  forth  his  sonorous  periods  with 
the  most  weighty  seriousness ;  yet  I  confess  that  I 
have  not  always  been  able  to  repress  a  smile  when  I 
have  heard  him  utter  a  periphrase    of  this  kind : 
"The   small  particle    of    the   aqueous  fluid   which 
trickles  from  the  visual  organ  over  the  lineaments 
of  the  countenance,  betokening  grief."     Riding  into 
his  yard  once,  in  company  with  a  friend,  intending  to 
breakfast  with  him,  we  were  thus  hospitably  saluted  : 
"  Brethren,  how  are  you  ?     Alight,  and  allow  me  to 
conduct  your  quadruped  through  the  orifice,  erected 
for  ingress  and  egress  into  the  stabulatory  depart- 
ment, in  order  that  he  may  obtain  somewhat  of  the 
herbiferous  and  graniferous  wherewith  to  sustain  his 
strength  ;  while  ye  yourselves  shall  tarry  until  ye  have 
partaken  of  aliment  furnished  by  the  females  in  the 
domicil,  and  having  attended  to  sanctimonious  exer- 
cises go  on  your  way  rejoicing."     The  meal  having 
been  prepared,   it  was    announced    in    this    wise : 
"  Come,  friends,  bites  are  about  to  be  distributed." 

The  following  is  attributed  to  him,  but  with  what 
correctness  I  cannot  state  ;  it  is  certainly  character- 
istic of  his  merry  moods :     An  old  man  engaged  in 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  97 

emitting  dense  volumes  of  tobacco  smoke  from  an 
old  pipe,  until  the  atmosphere  of  the  apartment  be- 
came oppressive  and  sickening,  was  thus  politely 
and  humorously  addressed:  "Yenerable  sir,  the 
aftumegation  arising  from  the  deleterious  effluvia 
emanating  from  your  tobaccoistic  reservoir,  so  over- 
shadows the  organistic  power  of  our  ocular,  and  so 
abflustrates  our  atmospheric  validity  that  our  apparati 
must  shortly  be  obtuned,  unless  through  the  abundant 
suavity  of  your  eminent  politeness  you  will  disem- 
bogue the  aluminous  tube  of  the  stimulating  and  ster- 
nutatory ingredient  that  replenishes  its  concavity." 

A  man  of  quenchless  zeal  and  indefatigable  indus- 
try, he  abounded  in  labors,  preaching  constantly 
while  he  supported  himself  by  his  farm. 

From  the  communings  of  these  friendly  journeys, 
we  derived  not  only  profit  and  pleasure,  but  also 
scraps  of  intelligence  concerning  our  brethren  in 
distant  quarters.  One  of  these  was  as  follows  :  A 
young  man  in  my  position,  as  a  helper  in  his  first 
year,  was  complained  of  at  his  quarterly  conference ; 
to  the  effect  first,  that  he  could  not  preach ;  second, 
that  he  was  attentive  to  all  the  girls  around  the  cir- 
cuit; and  third,  that  he  was  constantly  engaged  in 
swopping  horses.  In  defending  himself  he  stated 
first,  that  he  knew  as  well  as  any  of  them  that  he 
could  not  preach,  and  he  was  sure  it  did  not  trouble 
{hem  as  much  as  it  did  him  ;  second,  that  they  need 

5 


98  TEN   TEARS   OF   TREACHER-LIFE  ;    OE, 

not  be  alarmed  about  his  attention  to  the  girls,  for  he 
would  not  think  of  marrying  the  daughter  of  any 
man  present ;  and  third,  as  to  trading  horses  "what 
else  was  he  to  do  ?  they  paid  him  nothing,  and  he 
had  no  other  way  of  making  money  enough  to  buy 
his  clothes. 

I  received  my  salary  regularly  every  three  months, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  year  was  paid  my  hundred 
dollars  in  full,  besides  presents  of  various  yarn  stock- 
ings, woollen  shirts  and  other  useful  articles. 

Within  the  year  I  preached  nearly  four  hundred 
times  and  rode  over  three  thousand  miles,  chiefly  on 
horseback  ;  but  during  the  summer,  when  the  Illinois 
bottom  was  under  water  for  nearly  a  month,  1 
reached  my  appointments  by  canoe  over  a  lake  nine 
miles  wide,  ten  feet  above  the  road  along  which  I 
had  been  accustomed  to  trot. 

The  experiences  gained  in  that  year's  campaign, 
I  would  not  exchange  for  those  of  any  other  year  of 
my  life.  It  was  a  scene  of  constant  adventure,  or 
hair-breadth  escapes ;  for  notwithstanding  the  saga- 
city of  my  horse,  my  piece  of  an  eye  was  a  poor 
substitute  for  the  two  good  ones  that  had  fallen  to 
the  share  of  my  contemporaries ;  and  in  this  wild, 
roving  sort  of  life,  it  could  not  be  but  that  I  should 
be  especially  exposed  to  peril.  Nevertheless,  it  was 
a  life  full  of  hearty  enjoyment,  and  of  toil  that  in- 
spired, while  it  tasked  one's  powers. 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  99 


CHAPTER   IX. 

WALKING     THE     HOSPITAL. 

I  managed  to  pass  my  examination  at  the  ensuing 
conference  without  much  difficulty.  That  it  was  not 
very  formidable,  may  be  gathered  from  this :  A 
young  man  who  had  been  hard  at  work  on  the  first 
part  of  Watson's  Institutes,  one  of  our  text-books, 
said  to  the  chairman  of  the  examining  committee, 
"  I  confess  that,  notwithstanding  my  best  exertions, 
I  have  been  unable  to  master  Mr.  Watson's  argument 
on  the  evidences  of  Christianity,  and  I  should  be 
obliged  to  you  for  some  explanations." 

"  Now  look  yer,"  said  the  venerable  chairman,  "  I 
want  you  to  understand,  that  I  come  here  to  ask 
questions,  not  to  answer  them." 

As  my  eye  was  growing  rapidly  worse,  I  visited 
St.  Louis  in  the  autumn  of  1844,  to  get  medical 
.  advice  and  treatment.  A  number  of  physicians  in 
consultation  agreed  to  undertake  the  case,  hoping 
that  if  they  could  not  benefit  the  eye,  at  least  to 
keep   it  from  getting   worse ;    offering,   moreovci    B 


100  TEN   YEARS   OF   PKEACItER-LIFE  J    OR, 

free  ticket  to  attend  the  lectures  delivered  in  their 
medical  school. 

Thinking  that  no  kind  of  knowledge  should  come 
amiss  to  a  Methodist  preacher,  I  determined  to 
accept  the  proposal. 

Acting  on  this  suggestion,  an  old  brother  in  a 
neighboring  conference  "had  made  himself  acquainted 
with  the  Thompsonian  theory  of  physic,  and  took 
great  delight  in  practising  it  on  his  circuits.  Some 
of  his  brethren,  not  liking  his  theory  or  course, 
complained  of  him,  when  his  name  was  called  in  the 
annual  examination  of  character.  In  maintaining  his 
right,  he  said :  "  Now,  Mr.  Bishop,  you  know  that  we 
are  commanded  to  do  good  to  the  bodies  as  well  as 
the  souls  of  men.  If  I  were  travelling  in  a  region 
where  doctors  were  scarce,  and  were  to  find  a  man 
in  a  bad  spell  of  bilious  fever,  ye  know  I  would 
throw  him  into  a  sweat,  and  then  give  him  a  dose  of 
lobelia  or  thoronghwort " — 

"  No,  sir,"  interrupted  the  bishop  rather  haugh- 
tily ;  "  no,  brother,  I  do  not  know,  and  what  is  more, 
I  do  not  care,  what  you  wTould  do." 

"  Yery  well,  sir,  very  well,"  retorted  the  other, 
"  you  have  as  good  a  right  to  live  and  die  a  fool  as 
any  other  man." 

Notwithstanding  I  had  decided  to  attend  the  lec- 
tures and  adopt  the  treatment,  how  I  was  to  support 
myself  meanwhile  was   not   so   clear.     I  had  just 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  101 

-fifteen  dollars  in  my  pocket,  and  that  paid  my  board 
for  a  month  and  a  week.  As  I  sat  in  my  chill  and 
bare  apartment,  gloomily  ruminating  upon  the  pros- 
pect of  parting  with  my  last  dollar,  and  wondering 
what  was  to  come  next,  I  received  an  invitation  to 
take  tea  with  the  family  of  a  distinguished  lawyer 
of  the  city.  The  warm  cheerful  glow  of  the  house, 
the  sunny  hospitality  of  the  family  stood  out  in 
bright  relief  against  the  dark  background  of  my 
dreary  and  lonely  lodgings.  Many  a  stormy  night 
during  my  five  weeks'  stay,  had  I  wandered  out  in 
the  rain  and  darkness,  while  the  gusty  wind  was 
sweeping  along  ihe  streets,  and  the  clouds  pouring 
out  their  torrents,  and  seen  broad  beams  of  light  fall- 
ing through  the  windows  of  pleasant  houses,  through 
which  issued,  too,  strains  of  merry  music,  the  sound 
of  laughter  and  of  pleasant  voices,  and  felt  the 
wretchedness  of  solitude  in  the  midst  of  a  peopled 
city.  Unable  to  read  at  night,  with  scarce  an 
acquaintance  in  town,  my  condition  had  been  dismal 
and  lonely  enough.  My  evening  by  this  friendly 
fireside,  had  therefore  been  one  of  the  pleasantest  of 
my  life.  My  host  was  not  only  learned  in  the  law, 
but  deeply  read  in  polite  letters.  Accomplished  in 
manners  as  he  was  engaging  in  conversation,  he  fas- 
cinated me  no  less  by  his  graceful  attentions  than  by 
his  charming  and  varied  talk.  As  I  arose  to  take 
my  leave,  his  generous  wife  said  with  true  Virginia 


102  TEN  yea.es  of  preacher-life  ;  OR, 

warmth  of  tone,  "Whither  are  you  going?"  "To 
my  lodgings,"  I  replied.  "These  are  your  lodgings," 
she  answered  ;  and  her  husband  taking  both  my 
hands  in  his  said,  "  This  house  is  your  home,  sir,  as 
long  as  you  will  stay  in  it ;  yonder  is  your  room,  and 
your  trunk  is  already  there."  How  this  came  to 
pass  I  never  knew,  for  the  major  could  not  have  been 
aware  that  I  was  on  my  last  dollar. 

The  next  nine  months  were  passed  beneath  this 
friendly  roof.  In  the  society  of  my  gifted  and  elo- 
quent friend,  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  great 
English  essayists,  and  of  some  of  the  great  English 
poets,  especially  of  Shakspeare.  Cupping,  leeching, 
physicking,  and  attendance  upon  anatomical  lectures 
were  alternated  by  readings  from  the  masters  of  style 
and  song.  I  went  from  the  skeleton  in  the  museum, 
or  the  corpse  in  the  dissecting-room,  to  the  pervasive 
and  ethereal  soul  that  shines  through  the  verse  of  the 
bard.  The  darkness  that  fell  upon  me  after  some 
painful  operation  on  the  eye,  was  lit  and  illumined 

by 

"  The  light  that  never  was  on  land  or  sea, 
The  consecration  and  the  poet's  dream." 

It  was  a  pleasant  thing  to  go  from  the  smell 
and  taste  of  nauseous  drugs,  to  breathe  the  air  of 
the  ideal  world,  and  to  exchange  a  wreath  of  leeches 
and  a  necklace  of  cups,  for  a  sprig  of  amaranth  that 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      103 

blooms  in  the  immortal  fields  of  poetry.  My  friend 
was  the  finest  reader  as  well  as  talker  I  had  ever 
listened  to,  and  his  exquisite  appreciation  afforded 
me  a  rare  interpretation  and  insight  of  the  achieve- 
ments of  sceptered  monarchs  in  the  realms  of 
thought. 

Ambrosial  nights  were  those  in  which  the  major, 
returning  from  his  office  or  the  courts,  would  render 
for  me  the  glorious  voices  of  the  past. 

Then  there  were  other  friends  to  minister  to  my 
delight  and  instruction.  One  of  these  was  a  marvel- 
lously gifted  woman  of  society,  the  widow  of  a  late 
distinguished  member  of  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States.  She  charmed  me  with  stories  of  her  lomr 
life  in  Washington,  with  sketches  of  the  eminent 
personages  she  had  met  there,  with  analyses  and  des- 
scriptions  of  their  oratory,  with  anecdotes  of  the 
private  life  and  manners  of  the  capital.  I  came  to 
know  Clay,  Webster,  Calhoun,  McDufne,  Preston, 
Mangum,  Wright,  Forsythe,  Benton  and  Jackson, 
almost  as  vividly  as  if  I  had  seen  and  heard  them. 
Another  of  my  friends  was  a  young  Methodist 
preacher,  about  my  own  age,  stationed  at  one  of  the 
churches  in  town,  and  now  in  a  city  for  the  first 
time.  Starting  upon  his  first  tour  of  pastoral  visita- 
tion, he  reached  the  door  of  one  of  his  flock,  and 
seeing  the  silver  handle  of  the  bell-pull,  and  under- 
neath it  a  foot-scraper  on  the  marble  step,  and  sup- 


1 04  TEN   TEAKS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OE, 

posing  that  the  knob  was  to  hold  on  by  while  he 
cleaned  his  feet,  used  it  accordingly,  and  then  began 
hammering  on  the  door  with  his  fist  to  gain  admit- 
tance. "When  the  servant  came,  he  inquired  rather 
tartly,  "Why  did  you  not  pull  the  bell?"  "Bell!" 
said  my  friend,  roused  from  his  dream  of  admiration 
at  the  munificent  spirit  of  the  householder,  in  pro- 
viding the  silver  companion  to  the  iron  scraper, 
"  there  is  no  bell  here ;  what  is  the  use  of  a  bell 
when  a  body's  got  a  fist  ?" 

The  region  in  which  I  now  dwelt  was  historic 
ground,  and  for  two  or  three  centuries  formed  the 
historic  horizon  of  our  continent.  Although  our 
past  is  only  as  yesterday,  its  weird  visions  have  a 
spell  for  the  imagination  of  those  who  have  never 
looked  face  to  face  upon  the  hoary  antiquity  of  the 
old  world.  Here  underneath  the  limestone  bluff, 
where  now  rose  the  proud  babel  of  the  "West,  lay  the 
mouldering  ashes  of  the  greatest  of  the  Indian 
sachems  and  warriors,  the  renowned  Ottawa,  Pontiac, 
whose  gigantic  scheme  for  the  extirpation  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  colonists  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  less 
than  a  century  ago,  filled  the  people  on  the  seaboard 
with  dismay,  and  bathed  the  border  in  blood. 
Here  he  sleeps  the  long  sleep  of  death,  undisturbed 
by  the  busy  tread,  and  unburdened  by  the  increasing 
industrial  and  mercantile  trophies  of  the  race  which 
in  life  he  so  abhorred.     A  metropolis  of  the  white 


CHAPTEKS  FKOM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      105 

man  is  the  mausoleum  of  the  Indian.  In  the  whir  of 
its  spindles,  and  the  scream  of  its  steam-whistle,  civili- 
zation chants  the  death-song  of  the  red  man. 

On  the  bosom  of  that  mighty  river  whose  tawny 
current  now  washes  the  levee  of  merchandise  and 
traffic  where  hundreds  of  steamboats  lie  moored,  the 
saintly  Marquette  and  his  companion,  Joliet,  the 
first  Europeans  whose  keel  ever  furrowed  its  wave.-, 
floated  in  their  bark  canoe,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Wisconsin,  a  thousand  miles  or  more  past  wooded 
and  unpeopled  banks.  A  century  and  a  half  before 
the  knight  De  Soto  had  gained  it  five  hundred  miles 
below  this  point,  and  amazed  at  its  breadth  and 
volume,  had  instinctively  named  it,  the  Bio  Grande. 
The  French  in  Canada  had  heard  of  it  as  "the  great 
river,"  but  now  the  pious  Jesuit,  his  grateful  heart 
filled  with  love  toward  the  virgin  mother  of  Bethle- 
hem and  her  divine  Son,  calls  it  reverently  the  river 
of  the  Conception. 

The  indomitable  voyageur,  La  Salle,  leaving  his 
fort  of  the  Broken  Heart,  had  entered  it  through 
the  Illinois,  and  found  a  rapture  in  sweeping  along  a 
torrent  as  impetuous  as  his  own  passionate  spirit. 
First  he  called  it  the  Colbert,  in  honor  of  the  great 
minister  of  Louis  XIV. ;  but  afterwards,  thinking  it 
worthy  of  le  grand  monarque  himself,  called  it  the 
St.  Louis,  and  all  the  countries  that  it  washed,  Louis- 
iana. 

5* 


10G  TEN    YEAKS    OE   rREAClIEli-LIEE  J     OK, 

Beyond  the  river  which  lias  now  reclaimed  its 
aboriginal  name  of  the  Mississippi,  stretches  the 
great  American  Bottom,  seven  or  eight  miles  in 
width  by  forty  or  fifty  in  length.  Here  at  Kaskaskia 
and  Cahokia  were  the  earliest  French  settlements  of 
the  far  West.  On  these  alluvial  lands,  which  had 
once  been  the  bottom  of  a  lake,  whose  tumultuous 
waters  had  poured  themselves  over  a  precipice  more 
dread  and  awful  than  Niagara's,  these  simple-hearted 
people  had  reared  their  humble  cabins,  and  lived  on 
such  friendly  terms  with  the  aborigines ;  so  content- 
edly, lovingly,  and  piously  with  each  other,  that  their 
story  forms  the  idyl  of  American  history.  "With 
boundless  expense  and  pains,  their  governors  had 
reared,  more  than  a  century  ago,  on  the  bank  of  the 
great  river,  the  impregnable  Fort  Chartres,  as  a  sure 
defence  against  the  encroachments  of  the  Spaniards 
and  the  English.  But  now  the  river's  changing 
stream  has  undermined  the  bastions,  and  tall  trees 
are  springing  from  the  parade-ground.  In  this 
region,  the  Spaniards,  French,  English  and  Ameri- 
can settlers  had  intrigued  and  wrestled  with  each 
other,  and  with  the  Indians,  for  supremacy.  Here, 
under  the  direction  of  the  great  George  Rogers 
Clark,  "  the  "Washington  of  the  West,"  had  been 
accomplished  some  of  the  most  brilliant  feats  of  the 
American  Revolution.  By  his  sagacity  and  indomit- 
able valor,  and  the  conquests  which  they  gained  for 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  107 

him,  his  native  State,  "the  Old  Dominion,"  had  won 
her  title  to  the  great  northwestern  territory,  which 
she  ceded  to  the  Federal  Government  twenty  years 
later. 

My  life  moreover  had  the  diversity  afforded  by 
frequent  "pulpit  sweats,"  and  of  short  journey ings 
to  neighboring  places,  to  give  many  people  who 
were  comparatively  destitute  such  ministrations  as  I 
could.  For  these  were  not  forbidden,  when  taken 
in  moderation,  by  my  medical  advisers.  My  life 
was  by  no  means  monotonous,  and  I  have  rarely 
been  busier  than  during  those  ten  months  spent  un- 
der the  doctors'  hands.  As  has  generally  happened 
to  me,  however,  I  quitted  them  not  much  the  better 
for  their  skill  and  pains.  My  angular  pin's-point  of 
transparent  eye  was  not  one  whit  clearer  or  stronger, 
and  I  went  to  the  conference  in  September,  1845,  to 
report  myself  as  effective,  more  nearly  blind  than 
ever. 


108  TEN    YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LD7E  I   OR, 


CHAPTER   X. 
"cry  aloud  and  spare  not." 

The  conference  sat  at  Springfield,  the  capital  oi 
the  State ;  and  having  passed  my  two  years  of  proba- 
tion, I  received  ordination  at  the  hands  of  Bishop 
Morris  as  a  deacon. 

At  that  time  we  had  under  our  care  McKendree 
College,  and  it  was  considered  desirable  to  erect  a 
Female  Seminary  of  high  grade ;  but  considerable 
sums  of  money  were  necessary  for  both.  It  was 
„then  customary  for  the  West  to  call  upon  the  East 
for  material  aid  in  all  such  enterprises.  After  the 
selection  of  a  site  for  the  future  seat  of  learning, 
and  making  out  an  estimate  of  the  sum  that  would 
be  necessary  to  put  it  into  operation — all  this  being 
kindly  and  gratuitously  performed  by  a  board  of 
trustees — the  next  step  was,  to  select  some  man  as 
an  agent,  who  should  be  intrusted  with  full  powers 
to  lay  the  pressing  claims  of  education  in  the  "West 
before  the  enlightened,  Christian  communities  of  the 


CHAPTERS  FKOM  AX  AUTOBIOGKAPHT.       109 

older  Eastern  States ;  and  by  his  eloquence  or  skill, 
to  raise  and  bring  back  all  the  money  he  could  get. 
To  persuade  men  to  part  with  their  gold  for  the  bene- 
fit of  some  distant  region,  particularly  when  it  is 
shrewdly  suspected  that  the  people  in  that  region 
are,  or  ought  to  be,  able  to  help  themselves,  I  have 
found  to  my  cost  is  a  delicate  and  difficult  opera- 
tion. Moreover,  if  you  would  make  your  plea  suc- 
cessful you  must  be  able  to  read  the  faces  of  men, 
and  to  explore  their  temperament  and  sensibilities 
through  their  eyes.  I  therefore  think  that  a  blunder 
was  committed  when  I  was  appointed  by  the  confer- 
ence as  an  agent  to  travel  in  the  Eastern  States  for 
the  pecuniary  advantage  of  its  institutions.  Never- 
theless, this  was  my  appointment  for  the  ensuing 
year.  An  old  and  valued  friend  offered  to  accom- 
pany me  as  a  travelling  companion.  We  reached 
Cincinnati  without  adventure,  and  began  our  work 
in  this  new  department.  I  found  my  ministerial 
brethren  very  willing  that  I  should  preach  as  often 
as  I  could ;  but  I  discovered  that  whilst  my  sermons 
were  listened  to  by  the  people  with  patience,  the 
appeals  in  behalf  of  my  cause  were  not  responded  to. 
There  appeared  to  be  a  difference  of  opinion  between 
us;  for  their  estimate  of  the  importance  of  a  Male 
and  Female  College  in  Illinois  was  not  nearly  as  high 
as  mine — at  least,  they  seemed  to  conclude  that  if 
the  two  institutions  were  so  indispensable,  the  people 


110  TEN    YEAltS    OV   TKEACIIER-LIFE  J     OK, 

in  Illinois  might  build  tliem.  I  preached  incessantly 
for  three  weeks,  and  found  that  I  had  my  pains  for 
my  reward.  My  old  friend  and  I  were  disposed  to 
shake  off  the  dust  of  the  Queen  City  from  onr  feet, 
and  to  take  our  journey  to  some  more  promising- 
place,  at  least  to  some  place  were  promises  would  be 
more  productive.  We  started  for  Wheeling,  and  it 
was  to  the  last  degree  important,  that  something  in 
the  way  of  getting  funds  should  be  done  there ;  for 
my  fare  upon  the  steamboat  took  the  last  cent  I  had. 
Of  course  the  trustees  of  a  college  in  sending  out  an 
agent,  would  esteem  it  gross  folly  to  furnish  him 
with  money — let  him  do  as  Cortes  did,  burn  his  ships 
— that  is,  go  without  funds,  and  then  he  will  have  to 
raise  them,  and  fight  his  way  through  from  sheer 
desperation. 

We  left  Cincinnati  on  the  steamer  Hibernia  early 
on  Friday  morning,  the  captain  promising  to  land  us 
at  Wheeling  by  Saturday  night.  The  boat  was  very 
much  crowded,  and  among  the  passengers  was  a 
considerable  number  of  Congressmen,  members  of 
both  houses,  on  their  way  to  the  capital  to  take  their 
seats.  As  several  of  them  were  men  known  to  fame, 
whose  names  1  had  been  familiar  with  for  years,  I 
took  great  interest  in  observing  them,  and  in  listen- 
ing to  their  conversation;  when,  as  is  often  their  man- 
ner in  such  environment,  they  talked  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  company.     I  cannot  say  how  much  I  was 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  Ill 

shocked  nor  how  indignant  I  became  at  discovering 
that  not  a  few  of  these  representatives  of  the  sove- 
reign people  of  the  United  States,  swore  outrage- 
ously, played  cards  day  and  night,  and  drank  villain- 
ous whisky  to  excess.  I  expressed  my  surprise  and 
chagrin  to  my  friend ;  but  the  only  comfort  that  I 
received  was,  that  this  was  the  fashion  in  which 
many  of  our  politicians  acted. 

The  river  was  low — fogs  came  on.  Sunday  morn- 
ing arrived,  we  were  yet  eighty  miles  below  Wheeling 
and  there  was  no  place  where  we  could  land  to  spend 
the  Sabbath.  At  breakfast  time  a  committee  of  the 
passengers  waited  upon  me  to  know  if  I  would 
preach  to  them.  ISTever  did  I  say  yes  more  gladly  ; 
for  never  had  I  been  so  anxious  to  speak  my  mind. 
A  congregation  of  nearly,  three  hundred  persons 
assembled  at  half-past  ten  o'clock,  and  I  took  my 
stand  between  the  ladies'  and  gentlemen's  cabins ; 
seated  in  the  places  of  honor  upon  my  right  and  left 
hand,  were  most  of  my  late  objects  of  interest — the 
members  of  Congress.  I  had  never  before  spoken 
under  such  circumstances,  but  nevertheless,  preached 
as  well  as  I  could,  which  is  not  saying  much.  At 
the  close  of  the  discourse  proper,  however,  I  could 
not  resist  the  impulse  to  speak  a  straightforward 
word  to  the  men  on  my  right  and  left ;  turning  to 
them,  therefore,  I  said  something  to  the  following 
effect :     "  I  understand  that  you  are  members  of  the 


112  TEN    YEARS    OF   TEEACHEK-LIFE  ;    OR, 

Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  as  such  you  are 
or  should  be  the  representatives  not  only  of  the 
political  opinions,  but  also  of  the  intellectual,  moral 
and  religious  condition  of  the  people  of  this  coun- 
try. As  I  had  rarely  seen  men  of  your  class,  I  felt 
on  coming  aboard  this  boat  a  natural  interest  to  hear 
your  conversation  and  to  observe  your  habits.  If  I 
am  to  judge  the  nation  by  you,  I  can  come  to  no 
other  conclusion  than,  that  it  is  composed  of  profane 
swearers,  card-players  and  drunkards.  Suppose  there 
should  be  an  intelligent  foreigner  on  this  boat,  tra- 
velling through  the  country  with  the  intent  of  form- 
ing a  well-considered  and  unbiased  opinion,  as  to 
the  practical  working  of  our  free  institutions — seeing 
you  and  learning  your  position,  what  would  be  his 
conclusion  ? — inevitably,  .that  our  experiment  is  a 
failure,  and  our  country  is  hastening  to  destruction. 
Consider  the  influence  of  your  example  upon  the 
young  men  of  the  nation — what  a  school  of  vice  are 
you  establishing!  If  you  insist  upon  the  right  of 
ruining  yourselves,  do  not  by  your  example  corrupt 
and  debauch  those  who  are  the  hope  of  the  land.  I 
must  tell  you,  that  as  an  American  citizen  I  feel  dis- 
graced by  your  behavior ;  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gos- 
pel I  am  commissioned  to  tell  you,  that  unless  you 
renounce  your  evil  courses,  repent  of  your  sins,  and 
believe  upon  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  hearts  unto 
righteousness,  you  will  certainly  be  damned." 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  113 

At  the  close  of  the  services,  I  retired  to  my  state- 
room to  consider  my  impromptu  address  word  by 
word,  and  whether,  if  I  were  called  to  a  reckoning 
for  it,  I  should  be  willing  to  abide  by  it  and  its  conse- 
quences. Plain  speaking  and  stern  acting  are  com- 
mon things  among  the  men  of  the  West  and  the 
Southwest,  and  whosoever  starts  to  run  a  race  of 
this  kind  should  be  prepared  to  go  unflinchingly  to 
the  goal.  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  nothing  had 
been  said  of  which  I  ought  to  be  ashamed,  and  that 
I  would  stand  by  every  word  of  it,  let  the  issue  be 
what  it  might.  "While  cogitating,  there  was  a  tap  at 
the  door.  A  gentleman  entered,  who  said  :  "  I  have 
been  requested  to  wait  upon  you  by  the  members  of 
Congress  on  board,  who  have  had  a  meeting  since 
the  close  of  the  religious  exercises.  They  desire  me 
to  present  you  with  this  purse  of  money  " — handing 
me  between  fifty  and  a  hundred  dollars — "  as  a  token 
of  their  appreciation  of  your  sincerity  and  fearless- 
ness in  reproving  them  for  their  misconduct ;  they 
have  also  desired  me  to  ask,  if  you  will  allow  your 
name  to  be  used  at  the  coming  election  of  chaplain 
for  Congress.  If  you  will  consent  to  this,  they  are 
ready  to  assure  you  an  honorable  election."  Quit' 
stunned  with  this  double  message,  I  asked  time  for 
quiet  reflection  and  for  consulting  with  my  friend, 
lie  warmly  urged  my  acceptance  of  the  offer.  As 
the  boat  neared  Wheeling  my  decision  was  asked.     I 


114  TEN    TEAKS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 

assented  to  their  proposal.  They  went  forward  to 
the  capital;  I  tarried  in  Wheeling  to  preach.  But 
the  sermon  on  the  boat  was  far  more  remunerative 
than  all  the  labors  at  Cincinnati  and  "Wheeling  uni- 
ted. By  the  agency  of  my  new  friends,  I  was  in 
due  time  elected.  Their  money  paid  my  expenses  to 
"Washington,  and  so  I  entered  upon  my  duties  as 
chaplain  to  Congress. 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  115 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A   REED    SHAKEN   BY   THE   WIND. 

Called  thus  unexpectedly  to  fill  a  novel  and 
responsible  position,  I  found  myself  sorely  perplexed 
as  to  the  course  I  should  pursue  in  preaching.  I  was 
to  occupy  the  desk  which  had  been  filled  by  many  of 
the  most  eminent  divines  in  the  country,  and  to 
address  an  audience  familiar  with  the  eloquence  of 
our  greatest  statesmen  and  orators.  I  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  with  small  discipline  as  a  speaker, 
and  with  little  experience  of  life,  and  a  stranger  in 
the  land.  Hitherto  my  preaching  had  been  the  result 
of  as  careful  and  thorough  a  premeditation  as  I  had 
been  able  to  bestow,  digesting  and  arranging  the 
truths  and  facts  to  be  uttered,  but  trusting  for  the 
words  and  illustrations,  and  the  living  presentation 
of  the  subject,  to  the  impulse  and  power  of  the  occa- 
sion. I  suppose  this  to  be  what  is  meant  by  the 
term  "  extempore  speaking."  In  order  to  success  in 
it.  the  mind  should  work  as  naturally  and  serenely 
in  the  presence  of  a  multitude  as  if  pursuing  its  pro- 
cesses in  the  quiet  of  a  cloister.     Fear  of  the  audi- 


116  TEN   YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  J    OR, 

ence,  and  every  other  form  of  self-consciousness,  must 
be  overcome,  or  the  result  will  be  mannerism,  con- 
straint, failure. 

In  oratory,  as  in  every  other  noble  path,  self- 
forgetfulness  is  the  condition  of  the  highest  success. 
I  remember  a  favorite  clause  in  the  prayers  of  some 
of  the  backwoods  preachers  which,  by  a  vivid  meta- 
phor, illustrates  the  true  secret  of  successful  preach- 
ing :  "  Lord,  help  me  to  get  behind  the  cross."  Let 
self  and  the  audience  alike  be  hidden,  let  the  infinite 
pity  and  tenderness  of  Christ  quicken  every  sensibi- 
lity and  swallow  every  other  concern,  let  the  intellect 
and  the  heart  be  pervaded  with  the  thought  of  his 
compassionate  love,  and  a  man  will  be  eloquent  in 
spite  of  every  difficulty.  But  how  shall  a  shy,  sensi- 
tive boy  do  all  this?  Moreover,  it  is  to  be  con- 
sidered, that  as  one  virtually  blind,  I  occupy  the  most 
unfortunate  conceivable  position  before  an  audience. 
This  is  not  said  in  the  way  of  whining  complaint, 
for  I  have  ever  been  grateful  for  the  modicum  of 
vision  that  has  fallen  to  my  share ;  but  I  may  as 
well,  once  for  all,  attempt  to  interpret  the  peculi- 
arity of  my  attitude  as  a  public  speaker.  Who  has 
not  felt  the  matchless  power  of  the  human  eye  ?  "Was 
there  ever  an  animated  and  soul-stirring  conversation, 
where  the  understanding,  memory,  invention  and 
fancy  performed  their  choicest  offices,  carried  forward 
in  the  dark?     Should  the  gas  which  brilliantly  illu- 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AX  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      117 

mines  a  crowded  theatre  or  church  be  suddenly  extin- 
guished, would  it  not  be  every  man's  instinctive  act 
to  place  his  hand  upon  his  pocket-book,  thereby 
declaring  his  fear  of  his  neighbors?  ]STo  sagacious 
man  will  ever  trust  another  who  refuses  him  the 
tribute  of  a  responsive  glance,  while  they  are  talking, 
but  ever  turns  his  head  away,  and  fixes  his  eye  upon 
vacancy.  What  orator  could  electrify  an  audience, 
speaking  to  them  behind  a  screen?  What  would 
Whiteiield  have  done  if  he  had  been  blindfolded 
before  ascending  the  pulpit  ?  Men  not  only  see  with 
their  eyes,  but  hear ;  for  the  beaming  eye  and  expres- 
sive face  speak  a  language  that  articulate  sounds  can 
never  express — a  language  more  moving,  soft,  and 
irresistible  than  ever  entered  the  soul  through  the 
galleries  of  the  ear.  Through  the  eye,  the  speaker 
enters  into  sympathy  with  his  audience,  by  it  he  per- 
ceives their  capacity,  reads  their  wants,  appreciates 
their  condition;  by  it  they  are  persuaded  of  his  sim- 
plicity, earnestness  and  faith.  Unless  his  eye  bears 
witness  to  his  truth,  his  words  will  only  be  sounding 
brass  or  tinkling  cymbal,  so  true  is  it,  here  at  least, 
"  that  seeing  is  believing."  Does  his  theme  quicken 
his  pulse  and  inflame  his  heart,  his  glance  will  kindle 
every  eye  in  the  audience,  "  as  in  water  face  answer- 
eth  to  face,  so  tlio  heart  of  man  to  man."  If  the  truth 
be  spoken  truly,  it  will  be  reflected  from  the  souls  of 
the  hearers  through  their  faces. 


IIS  TEN   YEAES   OF   FREACIIER-LIFE  J    OR, 

"With,  every  new  convert  a  man's  own  confidence 
in  his  teaching  is  assured,  while  the  answering  looks 
of  a  multitude  not  only  reveal  it  to  the  speaker, 
but  make  himself  more  deeply  known  unto  himself. 
The  secret  of  eloquence  is  to  be  found  in  the  eye  of 
the  audience,  and  through  it  the  orator  gains  his 
highest  inspiration — through  it  they  lend  him  atten- 
tion, interest,  sympathy — their  best  thoughts  and 
passions.  lie  is  reinforced  by  their  strength,  and 
his  powers  are  enriched  by  the  unrestrained  gift  of 
their  sensibilities. 

Thus,  then,  as  it  seems  to  me,  the  true  power  of  the 
speaking  man  consists  in  the  balanced  and  serene 
movement  of  his  intellect,  and  his  near  and  living 
connection  with  his  hearers  through  the  eye.  Unfur- 
nished with  knowledge,  unpractised  by  use,  how  was 
my  slender  intellect  to  bear  the  burden  of  a  great  and 
imposing  congregation,  in  a  hall  where  the  most 
brilliant  and  gifted  of  the  land  had  stirred  the  hearts 
of  a  nation,  and  yet  work  on  with  harmonious  ease 
and  undisturbed  composure?  Separated  from  my 
congregation  by  the  impassable  gulf  of  darkness,  across 
which  no  lightning  flash  of  intelligence  and  kindness 
could  send  its  message  of  comfort  and  cheer;  how 
should  I,  destitute  of  excellency  of  speech  and  wis- 
dom, gain  access  to  their  hearts?  So  far  as  the  intel- 
lect was  concerned,  true  I  might  acquire  a  certain 
amount  of  easy  and  self-possessed  activity  on  con- 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  119 

dition  of  composing  my  discourses  beforehand,  word 
by  word,  committing  them  to  memory,  and  deliver- 
ing them  by  rote.  In  this  way,  at  least,  I  might 
be  able  to  speak  with  less  discredit  to  myself  and 
friends,  and  possibly  produce  something  worth  the 
hearing ;  but,  after  all,  is  not  this  the  substitution 
of  a  vigorous  recollection  for  a  vigorous  mind — the 
cultivation  of  one  power  at  the  expense  of  many  ? 
Most  of  my  time  must  be  consumed  in  this  prepa- 
ration, and  little  be  left  for  liberal  study  and  gene- 
ral improvement.  Was  not  this  becoming  a  mere 
maker  of  sermons,  when  the  first  and  last  of  all 
duties  is  to  become  a  man,  rounded,  complete  and 
full  ?  Here,  in  the  Congressional  Library  lay  about 
me  the  vast  fields  of  knowledge,  in  which,  as  one 
travelled  farther  and  farther  in  any  direction,  the 
azure  veils  of  the  horizon  lifted  themselves  and 
receded,  while  the  delights  of  the  way  and  the 
rewards  of  the  journey  daily  enticed  the  traveller  to 
go  farther.  Here,  in  the  society  now  opened  to  me, 
were  men  and  women,  whose  acquaintance  with  the 
world,  whose  knowledge  of  life  and  character,  whose 
manners,  conversation  and  culture  might  be  invalua- 
ble as  spurs,  encouragements  and  auxiliaries.  "Would 
not  this  memoriter  style  of  preparation  for  the  pulpit, 
by  engrossing  most  of  my  time,  and  narrowing  my 
efforts  to  a  single  point,  deprive  me  of  many  of  these 
advantages  which  I  coveted?     By  rendering  myseli 


120  TEN    YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE ;     OR, 

dependent  on  it,  should  I  not  mortgage  my  future  and 
bind  myself  as  the  slave  of  a  bad  habit  ?  Thus  it 
seemed,  and  after  much  fear  and  bewilderment  I 
resolved  to  adhere,  come  what  might,  to  the  old  style 
of  preparation.  True,  I  was  laying  up  in  store  for 
myself  many  an  hour  of  bitter  mortification  and 
chagrin,  when,  crushed  by  the  weight  of  gathered 
crowds,  I  stood  before  them  almost  as  a  paralyzed 
imbecile.  "Well  might  it  have  been  asked  of  them, 
"  What  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?"  and  most  appropriate 
would  have  been  the  answer,  "  A  reed  shaken  by  the 
wind."  There  is  one  comfort,  however,  to  every  con- 
scientious workman,  let  him  toil  wheresoever  he  will, 
that  his  labor  shall  not  return  unto  him  void.  If  humbly 
yet  firmly  trusting  in  the  spiritual  laws  that  under- 
gird  and  prop  the  universe,  a  man  bend  himself  with 
dogged  and  unconquerable  resolution  to  his  task, 
whatever  it  is,  his  reward  shall  come  in  due  time.  1 
had  given  two  years  toward  acquiring  the  use  of  my 
voice,  and  learning  to  speak  in  such  a  way  as  not 
only  not  to  injure  throat  and  lungs,  but  to  conserve 
the  welfare  of  a  fragile  and  delicate  frame.  Could  I 
not  afford  to  pay  four  years,  if  necessary,  of  discomfort, 
annoyance  and  failure  to  insure  a  natural  connection 
between  the  tongue  and  the  brain,  and  to  gain  for 
the  brain  itself  the  healthful  and  natural  play  of  its 
faculties  when  the  body  was  erected  upon  its  legs  in 
the  midst  of  an  assembly  however  large,  or  upon  an 


CHAPTEKS   FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  121 

occasion  however  momentous?  Most  things  in  this 
life  have  their  price,  and  he  who  is  willing  to  pay  the 
full  worth  of  an  article  can  generally  have  it.  ""What 
will  you  have  ?  quoth  God.  Pay  for  it  and  take 
it,"  saith  the  proverb.  I  was  a  preacher  for  six 
years  before  I  gained  the  power  and  habit  of  ex- 
tempore speech.  Great  as  are  my  losses  in  the 
worlds  of  nature  and  of  art  from  imperfect  vision, 
I  feel  now,  as  I  have  ever  felt,  that  incomparably 
my  greatest  loss  is  as  a  speaker.  Could  I  only  look 
into  the  face  of  my  brother  man  as  we  talk  toge- 
ther, gladly  would  I  welcome  darkness  at  all  other 
times — the  light  of  the  human  face  divine  would 
reconcile  me  to  the  loss  of  the  Sun.  Thus,  though  I 
be  debarred  from  the  use  of  that  noblest  power  with 
which  God  has  gifted  man,  the  power  of  spoken  elo- 
quence ;  though  I  be  hedged  and  hampered  by  the 
constraint  of  an  ever-during  gloom,  why  grieve  or 
be  heavy  of  heart.  "  Though  no  chastening  for  the 
present  seemeth  to  be  joyous  but  grievous :  neverthe- 
less, afterward  it  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruits  of  righte- 
ousness unto  all  them  that  are  exercised  thereby." 

"  God  hath  many  aims  to  compass,  many  messages  to  send, 
And  his  instruments  are  fitted  each  to  its  distinctive  end  ; 
Earth  is  filled  with  groaning  spirits,  hearts  that  wear  a  galling  chain, 
Minds  designed  for  noble  uses,  bondaged  to  the  lust  of  gain — 
Souls  once    beautiful    in    whiteness,  crimsoned   with    corruption's 
stain. 

G 


122  TEN   YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  J     OR, 

"  Through  earth's  wrong,  and  woe,  and  evil,  sometimes  seeing,  some- 
times blind, 
Ever  must  the  homeward  pathway  of  the  humble  Christian  wind  ; 
Stooping  over  sin  and  sorrow,  bending  by  the  couch  of  pain, 
Holy  promises  outpouring,  grateful  as  the  summer's  rain 
To  the  heart  whose  hope  had  withered,  never  to  revive  again. 


"  Thus  are  God's  ways  vindicated,  and  at  length  we  slowly  gain, 
As  our  needs  dispel  our  blindness,  some  faint  glimpses  of  the  chain 
Which  connects  the  earth  with  heaven — right  with  wrong,  and  good 

with  ill, 
Links  in  one  harmonious  movement,  slowly  learn  we  to  fulfill 
Our  appointed  march  in  concert,  with  his  manifested  will." 


They  also  serve  who  only  stand  and  wait. 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  123 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CONGRESS    AND   TWO   OF   ITS   YOUNG   MEN. 

The  duties  of  the  chaplaincy  were  simple  enough. 
To  open  the  two  Houses  of  Congress  with  prayer 
daily,  to  preach  in  the  Hall  of  Representatives  on 
Sunday  morning;  and  as  there  were  two  of  us  to  per- 
form these  offices,  there  was  abundant  leisure  to 
follow  our  bent.  Of  course,  my  fancy  had  pictured 
the  Capitol  as  an  Olympian  summit,  where  the  greater 
and  lesser  gods  held  their  festivals  and  dispensed  their 
favors.  The  debates  of  the  two  houses  were  to  fur- 
nish me  an  endless  fund  of  entertainment  and  instruc- 
tion. "What  was  Hebe's  nectar  to  that  which  I  should 
imbibe  from  the  glittering  chalice  of  Congressional 
discussion  ?  I  had  heard  a  great  deal  of  speaking 
— good,  bad,  and  indifferent — from  the  stumps  and 
pulpits  of  prairie  land ;  but  here,  with  the  flower  of 
the  nation  in  council,  I  should  enjoy  a  repast  whose 
delicacies  could  never  cloy,  and  whose  abundance 
could  never  fail.  But  our  ideals  fade  away  into  thin 
air  when  brought  to  the  touchstone  of  experience, 
and  disappointment  is  the  common  lot. 


124  TEN   YEAKS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

The  first  effect  of  life  in  "Washington  for  a  young 
enthusiast  is  that  of  disenchantment ;  and  he  must 
become  familiarized  with  the  routine  of  business  and 
inured  to  the  commonplaces  and  platitudes  of 
speeches  for  "  Buncombe,"  before  he  is  thoroughly 
prepared  to  enjoy  the  gladiatorship  of  the  Capitol. 
It  was  mortifying  enough  to  see  an  honorable  repre- 
sentative or  senator  speaking  to  "  a  beggarly  account 
of  empty  boxes,"  while  even  such  of  his  colleagues 
as  were  present  seemed  to  treat  him  and  his  dis- 
course with  utter  contempt,  engaged  as  they  were  in 
writing,  reading  newspapers,  chatting  jovially,  or 
even  lunching.  Few  speeches  in  Congress  have  any 
effect  upon  Congress  itself;  nevertheless,  there  is 
scarcely  one  delivered  which  is  not  productive  of  good 
results.  A  nation  that  has  assumed  the  awful  respon- 
sibility of  self-government  needs  abundant  instruction. 
The  abstract  doctrines  of  political  science  can  have 
little  interest  or  weight  with  the  masses  of  the  people. 
They  have  neither  the  education  nor  the  powers  of 
reflection  to  appreciate  or  apply  them. 

They  must  be  addressed  on  their  own  level,  and 
while  their  plane  should  be  an  ever  ascending  one, 
the  politicians  must  meet  them  on  the  common  ground 
of  their  capacities.  If  the  majority  of  the  nation  are 
fitly  represented  by  the  inhabitants  of  Buncombe 
County,  North  Carolina,  of  necessity  the  greater  part 
of  our  political  eloquence  must  be  of  the  Buncombe 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  125 

order.  I  fancy  that  the  reason  why  our  public  speak- 
ing has  assumed  a  lower  range  of  discussion,  and  a 
less  finished  style,  is  that  the  audience  in  the  Republic 
has  become  wider  and  less  select.  In  the  days  of 
Hamilton,  Jay,  and  Jefferson,  public  opinion  was 
created  by  a  few  men,  and  Congress  represented  an 
oligarchy.  But  now  the  multitude  claims  its  rights. 
"We  have  become  a  nation  of  newspaper  readers. 
Every  man  affects  to  be  informed  upon  the  questions 
of  the  day ;  and  every  Congressional  speech  delivered 
to  an  inattentive  and  listless  house  is  nevertheless 
read  by  some  thousands  of  the  speaker's  constituents 
and  political  adherents.  The  fitness  of  their  audience 
might  compensate  the  lathers  of  the  Republic  for  its 
smallncss ;  its  ample  size  must  satisfy  our  contempo- 
raries for  its  want  of  quality.  Congress  must  be  for 
some  time  to  come  less  and  less  a  theatre  of  high 
debate :  more  and  more  a  kind  of  lyceum  for  the 
delivery  of  lectures  on  current  topics  usually  addressed 
to  hundreds,  sometimes  to  millions  of  listeners.  As 
we  have  fewer  Titans  in  the  Senate,  we  may  yet  con- 
gratulate ourselves  that  the  average  of  intelligence, 
truth  and  ability  is  constantly  increasing.  I  firmly 
believe  that  in  the  proportion  of  members  there  is  far 
less  of  drunkenness,  gambling,  duelling,  and  all  the 
grosser  sins,  and  more  of  uprightness,  honor,  and 
patriotism  in  Congress  to-day  than  there  has  ever 
been.  No  single  name  is  now  such  a  tower  of  strength 


12G  TEN   TEAKS    OF    TKEACUER-LIFE ;      OR, 

as  tlie  names  of  Clay,  Calhoun  and  Webster  once 
were  ;  but  Congress  lias  not  lost  its  significance  for  all 
that.  Above  the  Vice-President's  chair  is  a  narrow 
gallery,  traversed  by  a  line  of  desks,  where  sit  the 
leporters.  That  is  the  whispering-gallery,  through 
which  the  faintest  tone  uttered  in  the  chamber  travels 
to  the  extremes  of  the  Continent.  The  intellect  of 
our  forum  now  has  the  lightning  harnessed  as  its 
post  horse;  and  the  symbol  of  the  age  is  a  saucy, 
dirty  newsboy  astride  of  a  telegraph  wire,  shouting 
"  Tribune,  Herald  and  Times." 

After  John  Quincy  Adams  and  a  few  other  veterans 
the  two  members  of  the  House  in  whom  I  became 
most  interested  were  young  men  who  had  entered 
the  national  service  side  by  side,  from  distant  quarters 
of  the  Union  two  years  before, — one  from  Georgia, 
the  other  from  Illinois.  As  two  of  the  most  sig- 
nificant men  of  the  country,  it  may  be  allowed  me  to 
sketch  them. 

Alexander  Hamilton  Stephens  is  the  most  powerful 
orator  in  Congress,  and  that  witli  all  the  odds  against 
him.  When  standing  he  is  a  man  of  medium  height, 
but  when  seated  he  looks  like  a  boy,  for  his  trunk  is 
remarkably  short,  and  his  face  exceeding  youthful. 
Careless  of  his  personal  appearance,  his  hair,  falling 
in  masses  over  his  fine  brow,  his  black,  brown,  or  any 
other  colored  cravat,  he  seems  to  know  not  which, 
tied  in  a  sailor's  knot,  his  clothes  fitting  well,  if  he 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      127 

has  been  fortunate  in  his  tailor  (rarely  the  case), 
an  immense  gold  chain  terminated  by  a  heavy  seal 
falling  from  his  watch-fob,  he  presents  an  unpromis- 
ing, not  to  say  an  outre  appearance.  When  in 
repose,  his  face  does  not  promise  much  more ;  pale, 
with  a  slightly  sallow  tinge,  sometimes  with  a  hectic 
flush  upon  his  cheek,  it  seems  to  belong  to  a  beard- 
less boy.  His  arms  and  legs  are  very  long,  and  his 
whole  frame,  not  compactly  knit,  appears  loose  and 
awkward,  and  the  victim  of  lifelong  disease.  How 
nearly  disease  and  genius  may  be  associated  is  a 
question  which  I  leave  for  physiologists  and  psycho- 
logists to  settle.  But  I  feel  sure  that  sleepless 
nights  and  days  of  pain  and  fever  have  had  much  to 
do  with  the  brilliant  intellect  of  this  remarkable 
man.  His  voice,  too,  in  common  talk,  gives  as 
little  token  of  his  power  as  his  other  features,  for  it 
is  thin,  high-pitched,  and  inclining  to  the  falsetto. 
Trained  as  a  lawyer  at  the  Georgia  bar,  a  wonderful 
school  for  the  development  of  popular  eloquence  (for 
the  jury  system  is  there  pushed  to  its  remotest  limit), 
he  early  displayed  those  gifts  which  have  made  his 
name  so  famous  ;  a  sharp,  incisive  intellect,  broad  in 
its  comprehension,  firm  in  its  grasp,  as  keen  in  its 
perceptions,  coupled  with  an  emotional  nature,  deli- 
cate as  it  is  strong,  giving  him  an  invincible  hold 
upon  the  interest  and  sympathy  of  his  hearers. 
Returned  to   the  House   of    Representatives   when 


128  TEN   YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  J     OK, 

scarcely  thirty  years  of  age,  he  had  by  the  time  I  first 
saw  him  already  gained  the  undivided  ear  of  the 
House.  When  he  stood  up  to  speak,  there  was 
no  lunching,  chatting,  or  apathy  in  the  Hall,  which 
seemed  divided  between  the  silence  and  his  voice. 
The  almost  feminine  squeak  of  his  opening  soon 
became  a  consistent,  ringing  tone,  penetrating  every 
corner  of  the  spacious  apartment ;  and  judging  from 
his  effect  upon  the  ear,  I  can  well  believe,  what  I 
have  so  often  heard,  that  the  impression  of  his  pre- 
sence upon  the  eye  almost  amounted  to  a  transforma- 
tion. In  defence  of  his  position  he  is  at  once  logical 
and  persuasive,  setting  his  argument  before  you  in 
a  clear  light  and  striking  attitude,  insomuch  that  the 
remark  of  Mr.  Horace  Greeley  is  justified,  "that  you 
forget  you  are  listening  to  the  most  eloquent  man  in 
Washington,  and  only  feel  that  he  is  right."  His 
manner  is  rapid,  sometimes  vehement,  always  col- 
lected. I  laving  in  an  instant  gained  your  absorbed 
attention,  he  wins  your  confidence  by  his  apparent 
fairness  of  reasoning,  until  at  length  you  submit  your- 
self to  his  control  without  compunction,  or  the  dread 
of  his  being  overcome.  The  most  brilliant,  albeit  not 
the  most  satisfying,  part  of  his  oratory  is  seen  when  he 
tarns  upon  his  opponents.  His  powers  of  satire,  ridi- 
cule, sarcasm,  and  invective  are  fearful ;  and  yet  the 
man  of  good  breeding  never  forgets  himself,  nor  is 
hurried  away  into  truculent  abuse.     Many  a  man  has 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AX  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      129 

smarted  or  even  withered  under  Mr.  Stephens'  irony 
or  denunciation,  but  I  question  if  any  has  ever  had 
cause  to  say  that  he  was  not  a  gentleman. 

I  fancy  that  there  are  several  points  of  apparent  re- 
semblance between  Mr.  Stephens  and  John  Randolph 
of  Roanoke,  but  there  must  be  more  of  real  difference. 
Both  have  been  the  victims  of  disease,  whose  origin 
dates  far  back  in  life,  and  each  has  consequently 
been  the  owner  of  a  body,  which,  however  exqui- 
sitely it  may  have  been  strung,  has  been  perilously 
sensitive.  Both  have  exercised  almost  unequalled  sway 
upon  the  floor  of  Congress  ;  and  both  have  been  noted 
as  masters  in  the  art  of  offensive  parliamentary  war. 
Both  have  been  admitted  to  be  unimpeachably 
honest  and  fearless  statesmen,  shunning  no  danger 
and  braving  every  peril  in  the  maintenance  of  their 
peculiar  and  cherished  convictions.  But  Mr.  Ran- 
dolph had  scarcely  a  friend  ;  Mr.  Stephens  has  hardly 
an  enemy.  Bodily  infirmity,  if  it  did  not  master  Mr. 
Randolph's  will,  soured  his  temper,  and  gave  to  his 
perfect  diction  the  poison  of  wormwood,  and  to  his 
spirit  the  gall  of  bitterness  that  verged  upon  misan- 
thropy. Mr.  Stephens  has  conquered  suffering,  and 
keeps  himself  strong  and  noble  by  entering  heartily 
into  the  sweet  charities  of  life.  Proud  of  his  lineage 
and  his  birthplace,  an  intolerant  aristocrat,  with 
varied  and  finished  culture,  refined  taste,  a  high  sense 
of  honor,  a  mind  disposed  to  prey  upon  itself,  and  a 

G* 


130  TEN    YEARS    OH    L'EKACEEErLIFE J     OR, 

contempt  for  those  who  did  not  share  his  advantages, 
the  Virginian,  nevertheless,  presented  a  curious  spec- 
tacle, as  the  unflinching  advocate  of   extreme  Demo- 
cratic  doctrines,  whilst   at   the  same   time  he   was 
unable  to  free  himself  from  the  tyrannous  sentiment 
of  exclusiveness  and  caste.     "With  an  air  of  stately 
haughtiness    he  entered   the   lists   of  congressional 
debate,  like  some  solitary  champion,  with  visor  up, 
that  all  might  recognize  him,  wearing  the  colors  of 
a  fair  lady,  whose  place  upon  the  throne  of  his  affec- 
tions never  knew  a  rival,  and  in  the  honor  of  his  own 
Virginia  defiantly  threw  his  gage  of  battle  to  all 
comers.      He  challenged   your  admiration  and  de- 
manded your  submission;  he   disdained  your   sym- 
pathy and  scorned  your  weakness.     If  you  were  not 
a  gentleman  by  the  four  descents  he  would  hurl  at 
you  all  the  fiery  darts  of  his  jeering  ridicule  ;  and  if 
you  were  not  born  in  the  "  Old  Dominion,"  nothing 
could  expiate  your  offence,  and  as  a  Pariah  you  must 
bear  the  insult  of  his  complacent  or  scoffing  pity. 
Any  provincialism  of  pronunciation  or  phrase  upon 
the  part  of  a  man  whom  he  thought  worthy  to  be 
considered  as  an  antagonist,  was  chastised  in  the  sum- 
mary fashion  of  a  pedagogue,  and  more  than  one  dis- 
tinguished member  of  our  national  council  has  been 
taught  English   by  the   great  Virginian,   insomuch 
that  in  his  day  he  deserved  the  appellation  of  the 
schoolmaster  of  Congress.  The  Georgian,  on  the  othoi 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  131 

hand,  is  as  simple  and  genial  in  his  manners  as  a 
child;  considerate  and  kind  to  all,  his  friendliness 
begets  for  him  friendship.  lie  rarely  speaks  except 
npon  an  occasion  which  demands  all  his  powers,  and 
then,  after  mature  deliberation,  and  a  careful  survey 
of  his  own  position  and  of  that  occupied  by  those 
opposed  to  him  ;  so  that  he  is  like  a  great  general 
leading  disciplined  and  well-concentrated  forces  to 
the  attack,  and  so  admirable  are  at  once  his  instinctive 
and  reflective  powers,  that  he  seldom  makes  a  mistake 
or  suffers  a  defeat.  lie  is  a  born  leader  of  men, 
because  his  comprehensive  intellectual  nature  is 
seconded  and  animated  by  his  yet  finer  social  nature  ; 
and  whether  Mr.  Stephens  continue  in  the  House, 
which  I  presume  he  would  prefer  as  the  great  popular 
body,  or  be  removed  to  the  Senate,  I  think  that  the 
country  will  one  day  adjudge  him  the  finest  orator 
and  ablest  statesman  in  either.  The  idol  of  Mr. 
Randolph's  political  worship  was  State  sovereignty  ; 
the  coordinate  rights  of  the  State  in  harmony  with 
the  unity  and  ascendency  of  the  Federal  Government 
is  the  platform  of  Mr.  Stephens.  Mr.  Randolph  was 
a  Virginian  ;  Mr.  Stephens  is  a  patriot. 

The  other  member  of  the  House  to  whom  I  allude 
is  Stephen  Arnold  Douglas.  The  first  time  I  saw 
him  was  in  Jane,  1838,  ig  on  the  gallery  of  the 

Market  House,  which  some  of  my  readers  may  recol 
lect  as  bituate  in  the  middle  of  the  square  of  Jackson 


132  TEN   TEAKS   OF   P11EACI1EE-LIFE  |      OR, 

ville.  lie  and  Colonel  John  J.  Hardin  were  engaged 
in  canvassing  Morgan  County  for  Congress.  He  was 
upon  the  threshold  of  that  great  world  in  which  he 
has  since  played  so  prominent  a  part,  and  was  engaged 
in  making  one  of  his  earliest  stump-speeches.  I  stood 
and  listened  to  him,  surrounded  by  a  motley  crowd' 
of  backwood  farmers  and  hunters,  dressed  in 
homespun  or  deerskin,  my  boyish  breast  glow- 
ing with  exultant  joy,  as  he,  only  ten  years  my 
senior,  battled  so  bravely  for  the  doctrines  of  his  party 
with  the  veteran  and  accomplished  Hardin.  True,  I 
had  been  educated  in  political  sentiments  opposite  to 
his  own,  but  there  was  something  captivating  in  his 
manly  straightforwardness  and  uncompromising 
statement  of  his  political  principles.  He  even  then 
showed  signs  of  that  dexterity  in  debate,  and 
vehement,  impressive  declamation,  of  which  he 
has  since  become  such  a  master.  He  gave  the  crowd 
the  color  of  his  own  mood  as  he  interpreted  their 
thoughts  and  directed  their  sensibilities.  His  first- 
hand knowledge  of  the  people,  and  his  power  to  speak 
to  them  in  their  own  language,  employing  arguments 
suited  to  their  comprehension,  sometimes  clinching  a 
series  of  reasons  by  a  frontier  metaphor  which  refused 
to  be  forgotten,  and  his  determined  courage,  which 
never  shrank  from  any  form  of  difficulty  or  danger, 
made  him  one  of  the  most  effective  stump-orators  I 
have  oyer  heard. 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  133 

Less  than  four  years  before,  he  had  walked  into 
the  town  of  Winchester,  sixteen  miles  southwest 
of  Jacksonville,  an  entire  stranger,  with  thirty- 
seven  and  a  half  cents  in  his  pocket,  his  all  of 
earthly  fortune.  His  first  employment  was  as  clerk 
of  a  "  Yandu,"  as  the  natives  call  a  sheriff's  sale. 
He  then  seized  the  birch  of  the  pedagogue,  and  sought 
by  its  aid  and  by  patient  drilling,  to  initiate  a  hand- 
ful of  half-wild  boys  into  the  sublime  mysteries  of 
Lindley  Murray.  His  evenings  were  divided  between 
reading  newspapers,  studying  Blackstone,  and  talking 
politics.  It  is  a  droll  sight  to  see  a  crowd  of  men 
and  boys  gathered  in  one  of  the  primary  con- 
ventions of  squatter  sovereigns,  at  a  village  store 
on  the  public  square,  after  night.  It  is  a  Eialto  for 
the  merchants,  a  news-room  for  the  quidnuncs,  a 
mixture  of  the  town-hall  and  caucus-room  for  the 
politicians,  and  a  theatre  and  circus  united  for  the 
huge  entertainment  of  the  boys.  The  establishment 
is  closed  for  business,  but  the  door  is  open  for  all 
comers,  and  in  winter  time  a  cheery  fire  is  kept  blaz- 
ing for  the  common  weal.  The  "counter-hopper," 
as  the  clerk  is  familiarly  called,  is  on  duty  as 
sentry,  the  counters,  boxes,  bales,  barrels,  are  used 
as  seats  by  the  potent  assembly,  while  every  one  is 
solacing  himself  with  a  quid  of  tobacco  laid  away  in 
his  cheek,  or  a  rank  cigar,  poetically  styled  a  cab- 
bage-leaf.     The  principal  speakers  are  expected   tc 


134  TEN   YEAB8    OF   PliEACUEIt-LIEE  ;     OR, 

surround  the  stove,  each  with  his  back  toward  it, 
his  hands  occupied  in  keeping  the  tails  of  his  coat  as 
far  asunder  as  possible.  The  members  of  the  society 
address  each  other  by  the  diminutive  of  their 
Christian  names,  as  Pete,  Jim,  Bill,  or  Steve,  and 
the  grand  doctrines  of  liberty,  equality  and  fraternity 
are  realized  on  the  common  level  of  story-telling, 
smoke,  tobacco-spit,  and  boisterous  declamation. 
Such  are  the  debating  clubs  wherein  I  imagine 
most  of  our  western  orators,  legal  and  political,  have 
first  spread  their  unfledged  wings  and  tried  to  soar 
toward  distinction ;  doubtless  it  was  in  just  such 
a  school  that  Mr.  Douglas  took  his  first  lesson  in 
oratory.  He,  before  long,  by  virtue  of  his  indomita- 
ble energy,  acquired  enough  of  legal  lore  to  pass  an 
examination,  and  "  to  stick  up  his  shingle,'1  as  they 
call  putting  up  a  lawyer's  sign.  And  now  began  a 
series  of  official  employments,  by  which  he  has 
mounted,  within  live  and  twenty  years,  from  the 
obscurity  of  a  village  pedagogue  on  the  borders  of 
civilization,  to  his  present  illustrious  and  commanding 
position.  First,  he  was  elected  the  State's  Attorney 
for  the  judicial  district  in  which  he  lived,  and  next,  to 
a  seat  in  the  Legislature.  He  then  ran  for  Congress, 
but  was  defeated  by  five  votes,  and  was,  afterward 
appointed  Register  of  the  Land  Office  in  Springfield. 
Resigning  this,  he  was  chosen  to  be  Secretary  of  State, 
and  while  he  filled  the  office,  was  elected  Judge  of 


CHAPTER8  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      135 

the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State.  His  next  step  was 
into  Congress,  and  in  1846  or  Ml  he  was  elected  to 
the  Senate,  in  which  he  will  soon  enter  upon  his  third 
term  of  six  years.  Thus,  in  the  twelve  or  thirteen 
years  that  had  elapsed  from  the  time  of  his  entering 
the  State,  a  friendless,  penniless  youth ;  he  had  served 
his  fellow-citizens  in  almost  every  official  capacit}', 
and  entered  the  highest  position  within  their  power 
to  confer. 

No  man,  since  the  days  of  Andrew  Jackson,  has 
gained  a  stronger  hold  upon  the  confidence  and  at- 
tachment of  his  adherents,  or  exercised  a  more  domi- 
nating authority  over  the  masses  of  his  party  than 
Judge  Douglas.  "Whether  upon  the  stump,  in  the 
caucus,  or  the  Senate,  his  power  and  success  in  debate 
are  prodigious.  His  instincts  stand  him  in  the  stead 
of  imagination,  and  amount  to  genius. 

Notwithstanding  the  busy  and  boisterous  political 
life  which  he  has  led,  with  all  its  engrossing  cares  and 
occupations,  Mr.  Douglas  has,  nevertheless,  by  his 
invincible  perseverance,  managed  to  redeem  much 
time  for  self-improvement.  For  one  in  his  situation, 
he  has  been  a  wide  and  studious  reader  of  history' 
and  its  kindred  branches.  Contact  with  affairs  has 
enlarged  his  understanding  and  strengthened  his 
judgment.  Thus,  with  his  unerring  sagacity,  his 
matured  and  decisive  character,  with  a  courage 
which  sometimes  appears  to  be  audacity,  but  which 


136      TEN  YEARS  OF  1 REACH KB-LTFE  ;  OK, 

is  in  reality  tempered  by  prudence,  a  will  that 
never  submits  to  an  obstacle,  however  vast,  and  a 
knowledge  of  the  people,  together  with  a  power  to 
lead  them,  incomparable  in  this  generation  ;  he  may 
be  accepted  as  a  practical  statesman  of  the  highest 
order. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  there  was  formerly  a  dash 
of  the  rowdy  in  Mr.  Douglas,  and  that  even  now  the 
blaze  of  the  old  Berserker  fire  will  show  itself  at 
times.  But  it  must  be  recollected  that  his  is  a  vivid 
and  electric  nature,  of  redundant  animal  life  and 
nervous  energy ;  that  he  was  bred,  not  in  scho- 
lastic seclusion,  nor  amid  the  conventional  routine  of 
a  settled  population,  but  that  his  character  has  taken 
shape  and  color  from  that  of  the  bold  men  of  the 
border,  where  pluck  was  the  highest  virtue,  and 
"back-bone,"  to  use  a  phrase  of  the  country,  com- 
pensated for  many  a  deficiency  in  elegance.  His 
organization  is  exuberant,  but  not  coarse.  Like 
the  prairies  of  his  adopted  State,  which  in  their 
wildness  yield  a  luxuriant  bounty  of  long  grass 
and  countless  flowers,  but  return  to  culture  un- 
measured harvests  of  wheat  and  corn }  so  his 
youth  may  have  known  the  flush  and  pride  of  rude 
health,  yet  his  manhood  turns  up,  under  the  plough- 
share of  experience,  a  loam  fit  to  mature  the  glo- 
rious plants  of  wisdom,  power,  virtue  and  patriot- 
ism. 


CHAPTERS   FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  137 

In  society,  few  men  are  more  agreeable,  provided 
you  are  willing  to  make  allowance  (which  most  peo 
pie  in  this- country  are  bound  to  do)  for  the  defects  of 
early  breeding,  which  can  never  be  entirely  hidden. 
He  is  singularly  magnetic  in  conversation,  full  of 
humor,  spirit  and  information,  and  charms  while  lie 
instructs.  Of  course,  he  has  one  habit  which  consti- 
tutes a  Masonic  bond  of  brotherhood  among  all 
western  men — I  mean  that  of  chewing  tobacco. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  telling  a  story,  which,  though 
somewhat  at  the  expense  of  Judge  Douglas,  tells 
at  least  half  the  truth  in  regard  to  his  competency 
for  a  seat  on  the  Supreme  Bench,  and  moreover  illus- 
trates the  power  of  repartee  produced  by  "  stamping 
it,"  as  the  political  canvass  is  styled.  In  his  last  ex- 
citing contest  for  the  Senate,  the  judge  began  the 
campaign  by  a  speech  in  Chicago.  Among  those 
seated  on  the  platform  behind  him  was  his  competitor, 
familiarly  called  Abe  (instead  of  Abram)  Lincoln. 
In  the  course  of  bis  argument,  Mr.  Douglas  said,  that 
the  attempt  of  the  Republican  party  to  appeal  from 
the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court,  in  the  Dred  Scott 
case,  to  the  people,  reminded  him  of  a  remark  made 
once  by  Mr.  Butterfield,  a  late  member  of  the 
Chicago  bar,  in  relation  to  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Illinois,  for  whose  ability  and  learning,  or  rather 
want  of  them,  he  had  a  profound  contempt.  Mr 
B.  said  that  he   presumed  the  judicial   system   of 


138  TEN   TEAKS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  J     OR, 

Illinois  stood  without  a  rival  in  the  civilized  world  ; 
that  it  was  as  near  perfection  as  a  human  institution 
could  be,  and  that  there  was  only  one  amendment  of 
it  which  he  could  suggest,  namely,  that  an  appeal 
from  its  decisions  might  be  taken  to  any  two  justices 
of  the  peace.  Of  course  the  hit  was  evident,  and  the 
crowd  burst  into  a  loud  laugh,  at  the  expense  of  the 
judge's  opponents.  But  high  over  the  sound  of  the 
boisterous  merriment,  rose  the  sharp,  peculiar  laugh 
of  Mr.  Lincoln ;  and  when  the  noise  had  sufficiently 
abated,  for  his  voice  to  be  heard  throughout  the 
assembly,  he  retorted,  "  But,  Judge,  that  was  when 
you  were  on  the  bench."  The  judge  had  nothing 
for  it  but  to  "  acknowledge  the  corn." 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  139 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  SENATE. 

It  is  impossible  for  an  American  to  enter  the  Senate 
chamber,  without  feelings  of  respect  and  veneration. 
The  time-honored  memories  which  enshrine  the  place, 
the  traditions  of  illustrious  men  that  have  occupied 
these  seats,  the  grand  words  of  statesmanship  and 
patriotism  uttered  within  these  walls  and  which  still 
seem  to  linger  in  the  air,  and  the  august  assembly 
now  gathered  for  high  deliberative  purposes,  combine 
to  impress  the  imagination  and  to  awaken  something 
like  a  solemn  delight.  Here  have  stood  Macon,  of 
.North  Carolina ;  John  Taylor  of  Caroline  ;  Randolph, 
Barbour  and  Giles  of  Virginia ;  Pinkney  of  Maryland ; 
Porter  of  Louisiana ;  Rufus  King  and  Silas  "Wright  of 
New  York ;  Benton  and  Linn  of  Missouri ;  Grundy 
and  White  of  Tennessee ;  and  a  host  of  other  men 
who,  together  with  Clay,  Calhoun,  and  "Webster,  by 
their  conspicuous  abilities  and  virtues,  constitute  the 
parliamentary  glory  of  our  brief  history.  I  doubt 
not  that  by  the  purity  of  the  motives  of  its  members, 
their  incorruptible  patriotic  integrity,  their  eminent 


140  TEN   YEARS    OF    rKEACIIEK-LIFE  ;      OK, 

endowments  coupled  with  large  experience,  and  by 
their  powers  of  oratory  and  debate,  we  may  boldly 
challenge  a  comparison  between  the  Senate  and  any 
body  of  lawgivers  ever  convened. 

I  may  be  pardoned  for  refreshing  the  recollection 
of  my  readers  with  brief  mention  of  some  of  the  men 
whose  names  seem  sacred  to  the  spot. 

Probably  no  man  has  ever  filled  a  chair  in  the 
Senate,  whose  personal  influence  was  so  weighty,  whose 
character  was  so  revered,  as  Mr.  Macon  of  North 
Carolina.  A  sturdy  patriot  even  from  boyhood, 
relinquishing  college-life  to  take  part  as  a  private  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  serving  with  Greene  in  his 
arduous  campaign  against  Cornwallis,  he  had  won  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  citizens  of  his  native 
county,  before  attaining  his  majority,  and  despite  his 
youth,  was  elected  by  them  to  a  seat  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  State.  Receiving  the  Governor's 
requisition,  while  Greene's  forces  were  protected  from 
the  superior  power  of  Cornwallis  only  by  the  swollen 
torrent  of  the  Yadkin,  he  determined  to  disregard  the 
summons  and  to  abide  the  perils  of  the  camp  with  his 
fellow-soldiers.  The  wise  commander,  hearing  it, 
sent  for  him  and  demanded  if  the  story  were  true. 
The  young  private  quietly  answered,  "  Yes."  "  Why? 
then,  do  you  remain  in  the  camp,  while  the  halls  of 
the  State-House  await  you  ?"  "  Because,"  said  the 
energetic  yourg  soldier,  "I  have  often  seen  the  faces 


CHAPTERS   FROM    AJJ   AUTOBIOGEAPHT.  141 

of  the  British,  and  for  once  I  want  to  see  their  backs." 
Greene  showed  him  how,  as  a  member  of  the  Assem- 
bly, he  could  be  of  far  more  service  to  the  country, 
and  especially  to  its  army,  by  representing  their  dis- 
tressed and  forlorn  condition  and  pressing  the  vote 
of  supplies,  than  as  a  private  soldier,  and  induced  him 
to  proceed  to  the  capital.  Such  was  Mr.  Macon's 
entrance  upon  the  noble  legislative  career,  which  the 
earnest  desire  of  his  constituents  induced  him  to  pur- 
sue, for  fifty  years.  Identified  with  the  founders  of 
the  Republic ;  some  will  read  these  pages  who  remem- 
ber "  the  noblest  Roman  of  them  all,"  as  he  quitted  the 
Senate  a  little  more  than  thirty  years  ago.  A  planter 
of  moderate  means,  accustomed  to  work  in  the  field 
in  company  with  "  his  hands ;"  living  in  frugal  but  hos- 
pitable style,  raising  his  own  wheat,  corn  and  bacon  ; 
his  two  or  three  hogsheads  of  tobacco,  shipped  annu- 
ally, serving  to  procure  him  all  the  luxuries  he  ever 
knew  ;  he  always  appeared  in  "Washington,  in  a  suit 
of  navy  blue,  in  the  cut  of  Revolutionary  times,  in 
immaculate  linen,  his  head  surmounted  by  a  broad- 
brimmed  Quaker-hat,  and  his  hand  grasping  a  massive 
gold-headed  cane.  As  to  the  Constitution,  he  was  a 
strict  constructionist.  He  was  the  confidential  friend 
and  adviser  of  Mr.  Jefferson  and  the  next  two  Presi- 
dents, as  well  as  of  all  the  first  statesmen  of  the  time. 
u  Nathaniel  Macon  was  the  austerest  of  advocates  for 
public  economy  and  simplicity.     A  late  President,  of 


142  TEN   TEAKS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  |     OR, 

the  United  States  informs  us,  that  while  in  office,  he 
and  several  members  of  his  cabinet  paid  a  visit  to  the 
North   Carolina  patriarch..      He  was  quartered   on 
his  plantation,   in  half  a  dozen  log-houses,  one  of 
which  served  for  kitchen,  another  for  dining-room, 
and  so  on.     Fine  linen,  old  wine,  silver  and  cut  glass, 
however,  profusely  abounded.     The  first  day  wore  off 
briskly.     Early  the  next  morning,  the  President  and 
his  secretaries  were  invited  to  a  horseback  ride  over 
the  grounds.     When  they  stepped  out  to  mount,  our 
informant  was  struck  with  dismay.  There  stood  a  dozen 
grooms  stripping  the  requisite  number  of  race-horses, 
whose  fiery  eyes,  dilated  nostrils,  impatient  champ- 
ing, and  light,  sinewy  forms,  apparently  capable  of 
mounting  into  the  air,  augured  anything  but  a  quiet 
morning's  airing  to  sedate,  middle-aged  gentlemen 
who  had  never  ridden  a  steeple-chase  or  made  experi- 
ments   in  flying.      Macon  insisted,  the  well-broke 
horse  was  as  kind  as  he  was  spirited,  and  all  took  a 
parting  look  of  the  ground  and  mounted.     The  ani- 
mals vindicated  their   master's    eulogium,   and  no 
accidents  occurred.     As  they  swept  along  in  the  ex- 
hilarating morning  air,  with  the  sensation  of  being 
poised  on  aerial  springs,  the  patriarch  'held  forth' 
on  his   horses.      One   was   an    'Archy,'   another  a 
'  "Wildair,'  another  something  else  ;  but  each  had  a 
pedigree  as  long  and  aristocratic  as  a  German  baron 
of  sixteen   quarterings.     Their  exploits,   and  their 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  14:3 

ancestors'  exploits  were  proudly  recounted.  Each,  in 
Lis  opinion,  was  worth  a  plantation.  Mr.  Macon's 
amused  guests  were  '  alrnoet  persuaded '  before  their 
return  to  become  horse  fanciers."* 

Although  a  consistent  member  of  "  the  Baptist  per- 
suasion," as  he  called  it,  the  great  Senator  could  not 
resist  the  taste  for  horseflesh,  so  predominant  among 
gentlemen  south  of  the  Potomac.  Another  illustration 
of  the  same  passion  is  connected  with  one  of  my  ear- 
liest recollections.  The  only  time  I  ever  saw  Andrew 
Jackson  was  early  on  a  bright  summer  morning,  when 
he  came  into  my  father's  yard  to  look  at  some  blooded 
animals  that  had  just  been  imported  from  England. 
And  well  do  I  remember  how  the  patriarch's  face 
glowed  and  his  eye  shone,  as  he  gazed  upon  the 
noble  creatures,f  and  spoke  in  excited  tones  of  the 
exquisite  blending  of  beauty  and  strength  in  their 
mold.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  impressive  appear- 
ance, the  tall  spare  figure,  the  glittering  eye  and  the 
commanding  presence  of  the  erect  old  man. 

Eeturning  to  Mr.  Macon ; .  .  .  when  he  had  reached 
his  seventieth  year,  which  according  to  the  Psalmist 
is  the  due  limit  of  human  life,  he  resigned  his  seat  in 
the  Senate  in  1828,  to  spend  the  residue  of  his  days  in 
serene  preparation  for  the  last  silence  ;  leaving  behind 

*  Randall's  Life  of  Jefferson,    p.  665,  vol.  ii. 

•j-  By  the  way,  "  Creetur"  is  almost  the  universal  name  for  horse  in 
many  of  the  rural  parts  of  our  country. 


144  TEN   TEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;      OR, 

him  an  almost  unequalled  reputation  for  firmness 
guided  by  wisdom,  and  integrity  softened  by  good- 
ness. At  his  death,  som^  years  after,  he  desired  that 
his  body  might  be  buried  in  a  stony  ridge,  and  that 
his  only  monument  should  be  a  cairn  of  flint  rock. 

The  transition  is  a  natural  one,  from  the  unimpeach- 
able rectitude  and  primitive  simplicity  of  Nathaniel 
Macon,  to  the  equally  stainless  honor,  coupled  with 
universal  culture  and  preeminent  powers,  of  Wil- 
liam Pinkney.  It  is  true  that  his  fame  is  more  espe- 
cially identified  with  the  chamber  underneath  the 
Senate,  the  Supreme  Court  room;  but  in  both  these, 
as  well  as  in  the  House,  for  learning,  genius  and  elo- 
quence, he  was  like  a  star,  and  dwelt  apart;  and 
although  dying  in  his  very  prime,  he  has  left  a  repu- 
tation which  can  never  pale,  so  long  as  the  verdict  of 
such  men  as  "Randolph,  Wirt,  Gilmer,  Jefferson,  Ben- 
ton, Tazewell,  and  Webster,  has  worth.  He  was  the 
pride  and  Colossus  of  our  bar ;  the  Gamaliel  at  whose 
feet  most  of  our  jurists  that  have  attained  distinction 
since  the  last  war,  sat  with  grateful  docility.  Gifted 
with  genius  which  might  almost  have  disdained  labor, 
he  yet  felt  that  labor  was  the  all  of  genius,  and  at  length 
by  the  severity  of  his  application,  forfeited  his  life. 
Doomed  to  a  youth  of  poverty,  in  consequence  of  his 
father's  adhesion  to  the  loyalist  cause  in  Revolutionary 
times,  he  nevertheless  managed  to  gain  enough  of 
academic  lore  and  legal  erudition  to  place  him  at  the 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  145 

bar  of  Maryland,  by  the  time  lie  was  twenty -five  years 
of  age. 

He  advanced  with  rapid  strides  to  a  front  rank  in 
his  profession,  was  immediately  enlisted  in  the  dip- 
lomatic service  of  his  country,  and  sent  abroad  to 
perform  the  delicate  and  responsible  duties  of  commis- 
sioner to  adjudge  private  claims,  growing  out  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  under  the  treaty  with  England. 

He  resided  much  in  London,  prosecuting  his  legal 
studies,  occupying  all  his  leisure  in  scrupulous  at- 
tendance upon  the  courts  of  Westminster  and  in  the 
best  society  of  the  world's-  metropolis.  lie  was 
subsequently  a  minister  to  several  of  the  first- 
class  European  courts,  never  for  a  moment  re- 
laxing his  studies  nor  his  attempts  to  improve 
himself  as  an  orator.  He,  more  than  any  other  man, 
introduced  into  the  highest  courts  of  the  country  the 
most  impressive  style  of  argumentative  eloquence, 
enriched  with  all  the  graces  of  varied  and  exact  learn- 
ing outside  his  own  profession.  As  Attorney-General 
under  Mr.  Madison,  as  member  of  the  House  of  Re- 
presentatives and  of  the  Senate,  he  surpassed  compe- 
tition. On  his  entrance  into  the  House,  he  was  called 
upon  to  deliver  a  speech  upon  the  treaty-making 
power.  As  a  full  lawyer  and  experienced  diploma- 
tist, he  exhausted  the  subject  and  could  not  but  seem 
to  instruct  the  House.  Mr.  Randolph,  who  thought 
that  a  new  member  should  pass  a  novitiate  before 

1 


146  TEN    YEAliS    OF    PKEACHEE-LIFE  ;      OK, 

attempting  to  teach,  administered  to  him  one  of  those 
subtle  yet  significant  reproofs  which  he,  better  than  any 
other  man,  knew  how  to  give.  Rising  to  reply  to  Mr. 
Pinkney,  he  said,  "Mr.  Speaker — the  gentleman 
from  Maryland  " — and  then  pausing  as  if  in  doubt,  he 
added,  "  I  believe  he  is  from  Maryland,"  and  then 
proceeded.  The  hit  was  palpable,  and  no  one  relished 
it  more  than  the  man  at  whom  it  was  aimed,  who 
coming  round  to  Mr.  Randolph's  seat  at  the  close  of 
the  speech,  requested  permission  to  dissipate  his 
doubt,  and  to  assure  him  that  he  was  from  Maryland. 
An  intimacy  at  once  sprung  up  between  them  which 
lasted  until  Mr.  Pinkney's  death.  ]STo  announce- 
ment of  a  similar  event  has  probably  ever  produced 
such  a  sensation  in  Congress,  as  that  of  Mr.  Pinkney's 
death,  by  Mr.  Randolph.  Rising  in  the  midst  of  a 
stormy  sectional  debate,  growing  out  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise  question,  he  said  in  his  slow,  impressive 
way,  "  For  this  one  day  at  least,  let  us  say,  as  our  first 
mother  said  to  our  first  father  : 

'  While  yet  we  live,  scarce  one  short  hour  perhaps, 
Between  us  two  let  there  be  peace.' 

I  rise  to  announce  to  the  House  the  most  unlooked-for 
death  of  a  man  who  filled  the  first  place  in  the 
public  estimation,  in  the  first  profession,  in  that  esti- 
mation, in  this  or  any  other  country.  We  have  been 
talking  of  General  Jackson,  and  a  greater  than  he,  is, 
not  here,  but  gone  forever.     I  allude,  sir,  to  the  boast 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  147 

of  Maryland  and  the  pride  of  the  United  States — the 
pride  of  all  of  us,  but  more  particularly  the  pride  and 
ornament  of  the  profession  of  which  you,  Mr.  Speaker 
(Mr.  Philip  P.  Barbour),  are  a  member,  and  an  emi- 
nent one." 

"  Mr.  Pinkney  was  kind  and  affable  in  his  temper, 
free  from  every  taint  of  envy  or  jealousy,  conscious  of 
his  powers,  and  relying  upon  them  alone  for  success. 
lie  was  a  model  to  all  young  men  in  his  habits  of 
study  and  application,  and  at  more  than  sixty  years 
of  age,  was  still  a  severe  student.  In  politics  he 
classed  democratically,  and  was  one  of  the  few  of 
our  eminent  public  men  who  never  seemed  to  think 
of  the  Presidency.  Oratory  was  his  glory,  the  law 
his  profession,  the  bar  his  theatre,  and  his  service  in 
Congress  was  only  a  brief  episode,  dazzling  each 
House,  for  he  was  a  momentary  member  of  each, 
with  a  single  and  splendid  speech." 

But  it  is  time  that  I  had  turned  from  the  Senate 
of  the  elder  days,  to  the  body  as  it  was  composed 
when  I  first  stood  in  the  Vice-President's  place,  to 
open  its  deliberations  with  prayer.  The  solemn 
hush  that  pervaded  the  room,  betokened  the  grave 
decorum  of  the  fifty  men  who  stood  with  their  grey 
heads  bowed  reverently,  as  a  beardless  boy  com- 
mended them  to  the  care  and  guidance  of  the  God  of 
nations. 

Among  those  who  have  filled  a  prominent  place 


148  TEN    TEAKS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  |      OR, 

in  the  nation's  eye,  there  were  Messrs.  Dix  and  Dickin- 
son of  New  York,  John  M.  Clayton  of  Delaware, 
Reverdy  Johnson  of  Maryland,  Willie  P.  Mangum 
of  N.  Carolina,  MeDnffie  of  S.  Carolina,  Berrien  of 
Georgia,  Dixon  H.  Lewis  of  Alabama,  Crittenden 
of  Kentucky,  Corwin  of  Ohio,  Hannegan  and  Bright 
of  Indiana,  Atchison  and  Benton  of  Missouri,  and 
Cass  of  Michigan.  To  these  were  added  during  the 
session,  from  the  new  State,  Texas,  Gen.  Houston  and 
Mr.  Busk. 

The  President's  chair  was  filled  by  the  urbane  and 
courtly  George  M.  Dallas,  whose  abundant  hair, 
white  as  wool,  a  beautiful  crown  to  his  graceful  per- 
son, and  whose  dignified,  high-bred  manner,  seemed 
to  qualify  him  peculiarly  for  his  place.  I  shall 
never  forget  one  example  of  his  good  breeding.  The 
State  of  Arkansas  was  represented  at  that  time  by 
Messrs  Ashley  and  Sevier,  who  were  in  the  habit  of 
pronouncing  its  name  differently — Arkansas  and  Ar- 
kanschv.  In  recognizing  them  upon  the  floor,  Mr. 
Dallas  never  failed  to  say,  "  The  Senator  from  Ar- 
kansas" or  "the  Senator  from  Arkansaw,"  accord- 
in  o"  to  each  man's  use  of  the  accent.  But,  high 
over  all  their  colleagues,  in  authoritative  influence, 
i*rer,  and  the  general  estimation,  towered  Daniel 
Webster  and  John  C.  Calhoun,  two  of  the  immortal 
triumvirate  of  the  Senate.  Mr.  Clay  had  resigned 
3iis  seat  in  1842,  disgusted  at  the  ingratitude  of  the 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  149 

Whig  party,  as  manifested  by  the  chicanery  of  its 
leaders  in  the  nomination  of  Gen.  Harrison  for  the 
Presidency  in  1840,  and  subsequently  by  the  defection 
of  Mr.  Tyler  from  the  Whig  ranks  after  attempting 
by  eyery  means  in  his  power  to  deprive  Mr.  Clay  of 
the  leadership  of  the  party.  The  high-souled  Ken- 
tuckian  had  become  wearied  out  by  the  turmoil, 
strife  and  unsatisfactoriness  of  political  life.  And 
well  he  might  have  been,  as  let  the  following  unre- 
corded fact  attest.  On  Gen.  Harrison's  election  to 
the  Presidency,  he  paid  a  visit  to  Ashland  to  ask  Mr. 
Clay  if  there  were  anything  in  the  gift  of  the  govern- 
ment he  would  accept,  and  to  take  counsel  with  him 
as  to  the  policy  to  be  pursued  by  his  administration. 
Mr.  Clay  declined  all  offers,  whether  of  foreign  minis- 
tries or  cabinet  appointments,  and  declared  his 
intention  to  remain  in  the  Senate. 

The  President  then  said,  you  must  allow  me  to  con- 
sider you  my  most  honored  and  confidential  adviser, 
and  I  trust  you  will  ever  feel  free  to  give  me  your  best 
and  constant  counsel.  At  his  instance,  Mr.  Clay  named 
the  men  he  thought  fit  for  the  head-ship  of  the  dif- 
ferent departments,  all  of  whom,  I  believe,  were 
offered  seats  in  the  Cabinet.  But  the  new  ad- 
ministration had  not  been  mounted  two  weeks,  before 
the  evil  reports  of  talebearers  had  so  soured  the 
mind  of  the  President  toward  his  most  able  and 
magnanimous  friend,  that  he  sent  Mr.  Clay  a  note 


150  TEN   YEAKS   OF   PEEACHEK-LIFE  ;     "K, 

requesting  him,  if  he  had  advice  to  give,  to  be  good 
enough  to  submit  it  in  writing. 

Few  speeches  have  ever  been  delivered  in  the 
Senate,  which  have  so  stirred  and  softened,  not  only 
the  members  within,  but  the  nation  without,  as  Mr. 
Clay's  leave-taking  of  the  Senate  in  1842. 

His  seat  was  now  filled  by  Mr.  Crittenden,  one  of 
the  ablest  statesmen  as  well  as  most  accomplished  de- 
baters of  the  body.  It  was  always  pleasant  to  hear  the 
tones  of  his  silvery  voice  and  his  steady  flow  of  good 
sense,  mingled  with  good  humor,  in  diction  sometimes 
of  classical  purity.  Mr.  McDuffie,  stricken  in  the 
prime  of  his  brilliant  career  by  the  bullet  from  a 
duellist's  pistol,  and  in  consequence  of  which  his 
system  shrivelled  and  shrank,  went  tottering  about 
the  chamber,  leaning  upon  a  long  staff,  a  frightful 
monument  of  the  fiendish  effects  of  the  "code  of 
honor."  Mr.  Hannegan,  whose  fine  nature  and 
admirable  powers  were  even  then  being  undermined 
by  a  passion  for  strong  drink,  stood  forth  as  the 
avowed  champion  of  the  "  54  40'  or  fight  " 
doctrine,  as  it  was  called ;  for  this,  as  so  many  other 
sessions  of  Congress,  before  and  since,  was  disgraced 
by  an  attempt,  on  the  part  of  a  number  of  prominent 
politicians  of  the  bullying  and  badgering  school,  to 
get  up  a  war  with  England.  A  few  years  previous  to 
this  time,  the  Webster  and  Ashburton  treaty,  by  its 


CHAPTERS    FKOM    AN   AUTOBIOGExVPHY.  151 

settlement  of  our  northeastern   boundary  line,  had 
effaced  a  cause  of  trouble  between  the  two  countries. 

Another  was  now  brought  up  in  the  unsettled 
northwestern  boundary,  which  some  of  the  hot- 
blooded  western  men  insisted  should  be  run  along 
the  parallel — fifty-four  degrees,  forty  minutes.  The 
President,  before  his  election,  had  committed  himself 
to  this  line,  but  on  coming  into  office,  found  it 
opposed  by  the  facts  of  history  and  the  dictates  of 
honor ;  and,  together  with  his  Cabinet,  he  was 
endeavoring  to  recede  from  a  position  to  which  he 
had  been  unwittingly  hurried  by  the  vehemence  of 
partisan  politics,  and  to  assume  a  stand  justified  by 
right  and  the  national  conscience.  This  course  was 
branded  by  the  war  party,  of  which  Mr.  Hannegan 
was  the  spokesman,  as  an  attempt  to  "  craw-fish," 
and  the  President  was  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  an 
alliance  between  a  minority  of  his  own  party  in  the 
Senate,  composed  of  its  more  wise  and  pacific  men, 
and  his  political  antagonists  the  Whigs,  to  save  his  ad- 
ministration from  a  disgrace,  and  the  country  from  a 
dishonorable  and  bloody  war.  The  speechifying, 
caucusing,  and  manceuvering,  which  grew  out  of  this 
attempt,  formed  a  droll,  and,  I  confess,  very  humili- 
ating spectacle,  to  an  ardent  young  patriot  just 
emerged  from  the  woods,  and  who  was  disposed  to 
look  upon  affairs  through  a  rose-colored  medium. 

Colonel  Benton  was  a  striking  figure,  see  him  wh^'o 


152  TEN   YEAK8   OF   FREACIIEK-LIFE  |     OR, 

you  would,  whether  sauutering  through  the  capital, 
his  hat  stuck  slightly  on  one  side  of  his  head,  or 
standing  in  his  place  delivering  himself  a  good  deal 
in  "  Sir  Oracle "  style  of  speeches,  not  agreeable 
from  a  graceful  manner  and  pleasing  elocution,  hut 
impressive  and  convincing  from  their  sturdy  inde- 
pendence, cogent  arguments,  and  the  immense  stores 
of  digested  learning  which  they  displayed.  Notwith- 
standing his  strong  partisan  bias,  his  view  of  a  subject 
was  still  comprehensive,  and  his  support  of  it,  by  an 
array  of  facts,  dates  and  figures,  almost  irresistible. 

Mr.  Calhoun  was  much  given  to  pacing  the  corri- 
dor back  of  the  President's  chair,  in  conversation 
with  a  friend,  or  buried  in  rumination.  Careless  of 
his  appearance,  slouching  in  his  gait,  his  tall,  spare 
figure  bent,  there  was  little  about  him  to  arrest  the 
casual  glance  as  he  passed  you,  one  hand  behind  his 
back,  the  other  grasping  and  sometimes  flourishing 
an  immense  East  India  handkerchief.  But  as  you 
looked  more  narrowly  at  him,  at  the  not  very  large 
head  covered  with  a  mass  of  rather  wiry,  iron-grey 
hair,  the  wrinkled  brow  and  attenuated  face,  wherein 
both  nose  and  mouth  told  of  uncompromising  deci- 
sion, and  from  which  the  eyes,  in  moods  of  excite- 
ment, shone  like  live  coals  of  fire,  you  felt  yourself  to 
be  in  the  presence  of  a  king  of  men.  His  manner  of 
articulation,  in  conversation  as  well  as  in  public 
speech,  was  abrupt,  rapid,  and  almost  crabbed ;  his 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  153 

average  was  one  hundred  and  eighty  words  to  a 
minute,  bis  style  was  sententious,  dogmatic  and 
authoritative ;  sometimes  negligent  of  grammatical 
structure  and  elegant  pronunciation,  it  neverthe- 
less at  once  arrested,  and  then  riveted  you  by  its 
clear,  cogent  reasoning,  its  directness  and  sincerity. 
His  speeches  were  delivered  standing  in  one  of 
the  narrow  aisles  of  the  Senate  Chamber,  bracing 
himself  by  grasping  the  desk  on  either  side  of  him, 
while  his  right  hand  occasionally  flourished  his  ban- 
dana :  they  were  totally  destitute  of  the  graces  of 
manner  peculiar  to  Mr.  Clay's,  and  of  the  elaborate 
finish  of  composition  characterizing  Mr.  Webster's. 
For  an  hour  (he  hardly  delivered  a  speech  which 
lasted  longer)  he  poured  forth  a  vehement  stream  of 
logic,  free  from  personal  asperity,  in  homely,  and  for 
the  most  part,  idiomatic  English.  He  seemed  to  be 
the  logical  understanding  embodied ;  he  claimed 
no  suffrage  from  your  sympathy,  he  levied  no  tribute 
upon  your  admiration,  he  convinced  you,  or  demanded 
that  you  should  answer  him  by  arguments  as  con- 
vincing, and  by  logic  as  passionless  as  his  own.  There 
was  little  of  the  orator,  and  nothing  of  the  poet  about 
him  ;  his  intellect  was  eminently  metaphysical ;  and 
yet  his  frank  and  generous  spirit,  the  unsullied  purity 
and  ingenuous  nobleness  of  his  character,  attached 
men  to  him  as  with  links  of  steel.  lie  delighted  in 
debate,   and  like  most  politicians,  in    vaticination. 

7* 


154  TEN   YEAKS   OF   PREACHEK-LIFE  J     OR, 

That  instinct  of  our  nature  apparent  in  all  women 
and  most  men,  for  predicting  the  future  and  foretell- 
ing its  dread  secrets,  and  self-felicitatingly,  in  the  one 
time  out  of  fifty  that  it  is  correct,  expressing  itself  in 
the  well  known  phrase,  "  I  told  you  it  would  be  so," 
but  taking  no  notice  of  its  forty -nine  mistakes,  finds 
its  culmination  among  our  politicians.  You  cannot 
spend  a  week  in  the  capital  without  hearing  at  least 
a  hundred  prophesies,  nor  hear  an  oration  from  a 
distinguished  member  or  senator  without  being 
reminded  that  in  the  horoscope  of  the  nation  which 
he  drew  in  his  speech  on  such  a  day,  in  such  a  year,  he 
foretold  the  occurrence  of  the  events  which  they  now 
discuss ;  and  you  at  length  come  to  believe  that  a 
knowledge  of  astrology  is  necessary  to  the  practice  of 
statesmanship. 

Mr.  Calhoun's  mind  was  incisive  rather  than  com- 
prehensive ;  more  the  disciple  of  Aristotle  than  of 
Plato  or  Bacon,  preferring  deduction  to  induction ; 
holding  both  you  and  himself  to  his  irresistibly  rea- 
soned conclusions  from  his  accepted  premises.  It 
grew  more  from  contact  with  men  and  affairs,  than  by 
the  study  of  books ;  more  by  the  athletic  exercise  of 
conversation,  than  by  a  familiar  acquaintance  with  the 
sages  of  the  past.  He  delighted  in  young  men,  as 
indeed  did  both  his  illustrious  rivals,  Clay  and  "Web- 
ster, and  by  impressing  himself  in  full,  free,  fascinating 
talk  upon  their  receptive  minds  and  kindled  sensibi- 


CHAPTEKS    FEOM    AN    AUTOEIOGRAPIIT.  156 

lities,  lie  created  a  self-perpetuating  influence  which 
cannot  soon  decay. 

The  eye  of  a  discerning  visitor,  in  its  first  rapid 
sweep  of  the  chamber,  would  make  its  first  pause, 
and  then  fix  its  steady  and  oft-repeated  gaze  upon  a 
figure  seated  almost  on  a  line  with  the  Yice-Presi- 
dent,  and  half  way  between  the  secretary's  desk  and 
the  door.  The  head,  which  seemed  to  belong  to 
Jupiter,  with  its  immense  domelike  brow  beetling 
over  the  cavernous  depths,  from  which,  like  dia- 
monds, glowed  his  eyes,  the  noble  contour  of  the 
face,  and  shoulders  broad  enough  for  Atlas,  satis- 
fied you  that  this  was  Mr.  Webster,  or  the  im- 
mortal "Black  Dan;"  as  he  was  sometimes  loosely 
called  in  Washington.  There  was  something  about 
him  to  inspire  awe,  and  your  self-confidence  had  a 
trick  of  deserting  you,  as  you  addressed  him.  A  sin- 
gular illustration  of  the  power  of  his  bodily  presence 
to  awaken  the  imagination  and  create  an  illusion  in 
regard  to  himself,  is  the  fact,  that  everybody  thought 
him  a  very  large  and  heavy  man ;  whereas,  for  man}' 
years  of  his  life,  his  weight  was  148  pounds.  But  as 
the  reserve  (which,  by  the  way,  characterizes  the 
northern  and  eastern  men  in  Washington  as  elsewhere, 
differencing  them  from  the  men  of  the  South  and 
West)  wore  off,  you  found  him  to  be  a  most  delight- 
ful companion,  abounding  in  glee,  sportive  anecdote, 
and  a  love  of  merriment.     His  talk  was  full  of  wis- 


L56  TEN    YEARS    OF   PRE  AC  DEE-LIFE  ;      OR, 

dom,  learning,  wit  and  humor.  I  think  I  have 
never  known  another  man  with  a  memory  so 
stored  with  historical,  agricultural,  geographical, 
topographical,  legal  and  personal  information.  He 
had  an  eye  for  fine  oxen,  and  an  ear  for  old  psalms 
and  tunes.  He  could  repeat  poetry  by  the  hour, 
seemed  to  know  the  Bible  by  heart,  and  was  an 
unfailing  story-teller ;  his  fund  of  knowledge  was 
exhaustless  and  his  use  of  it  was  as  accurate  as  it 
was  profound ;  his  style  of  speaking  was  grave  and 
measured,  and  so  exquisite  was  his  taste  in  words, 
that  he  would  often  pause  until  the  hesitation  became 
embarrassing  to  every  one  but  himself,  to  call  up  the 
proper  one,  for  none  other  would  he  use.  Some- 
times he  would  remodel  his  sentence,  refusing  to  pro- 
ceed until  the  precise  phrase  to  convey  the  very 
shade  of  thought  came  obedient  to  his  will ;  as  wit- 
ness the  following  examples  :  "  We  want,"  said  he, 
speaking  of  the  necessity  of  a  national  bank,  "  an 
institution  that  shall — an  institution  that  has — an 
odor  of  nationality  about  it ;"  and  the  applause  that 
followed  attested  the  force  and  the  felicity  of  the 
figure.  Making  a  speech  on  the  great  Wheeling 
Bridge  case,  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  he  said :  "  Now,  your  honors,  we  want  the 
bank  to  come  out — to  show  its  hand — to  render  up — 
to  give  forth — to  disgorge !"  and  the  last  word  was 
given  with  such  emphasis  that  it  seemed  to  weigh 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  157 

about  twelve  pounds.  I  have  seen  him  stand  in  the 
Supreme  Court  room,  engaged  in  an  argument,  halt- 
ing for  a  word,  with  his  hands  inserted  into  the 
mouth  of  his  trowsers-pockets,  and  as  the  right 
expression  began  to  dawn  upon  him,  his  relief  was 
betokened  by  the  gradual  slipping  of  his  hands 
deeper  in;  but  when  it  came,  they  went  down  with 
such  a  force  that  you  felt  the  sewing  must  be  good 
or  the  muslin  strong  that  could  resist  the  shock.  It 
may  be  a  fact  worth  knowing,  that  Mr.  Webster's 
immense  head  continued  to  grow  sensibly  throughout 
his  life,  insomuch  that  it  was  necessary  for  him  to 
wear  a  hat  one  size  larger,  every  four  or  five  years. 
There  is  no  need,  however,  that  I  should  attempt  an 
analysis  of  his  colossal  intellect  or  a  description  of 
its  public  working :  that  task  has  been  and  will  be 
performed  by  abler  hands  than  mine.  Clay,  "Webster 
and  Calhoun,  entering  the  theatre  of  affairs  almost 
side  by  side,  their  lives  and  influence  mark  an  era 
in  our  national  history.  The  previous  race  of  our 
statesmen  had  conceived  and  expressed  their  ideal 
of  a  national  organization,  but  as  yet,  it  was  little 
else  than  an  ideal.  They  had  shown  a  most  penetra- 
tive insight  into  the  constitution  of  man  and  the 
wants  of  society ;  they  had  shown  a  transcendent 
wisdom;  but  still  it  was  by  the  force  of  abstract 
intellect,  grasping  the  great  cardinal  doctrines  of 
humanity,  and  interpreting  their  present  import  in 


158  TEN    YEAKS    OF    TKEACHER-LIFE  J      OK, 

the  signs  of  the  times,  that  they  had  erected  the 
magnificent  fabric  of  American  Liberty.  It  was  the 
task  of  succeeding  men  to  apply  these  new  senti- 
ments, to  devise  measures  to  meet  the  exigencies  of 
the  country,  to  correct  the  errors  of  speculative  intel- 
ligence, and  to  embody  generalities  in  the  safe  form 
of  practical  adaptation.  Men  cannot  foresee  the 
changes  of  society.  The  laws  of  circumstance  are 
not  disclosed  to  mortal  eyes.  It  is  a  province  of 
thought  and  action  that  God  reserves  to  his 
personal  supremacy,  and  from  which,  he  is  ever 
sending  forth,  in  varying  intervals  of  years  and  cen- 
turies, the  reforming  or  revolutionizing  powers  of  the 
world.  A  few  simple  and  permanent  principles  are 
all  that  a  government  can  safely  pledge  itself  to 
uphold,  and  consequently  it  will  not  fail  to  provide  a 
certain  degree  of  elasticity,  by  which  the  machinery 
of  political  operation  may  be  so  modified  as  to  suit 
the  necessary  mutations  of  all  earthly  interests.-  It  is 
in  this  department  of  statesmanship,  that  skill  finds 
its  most  onerous  burdens  and  heaviest  responsibilities, 
and  it  was  here  that  the  great  minds,  so  lately  taken 
from  us,  were  called  to  the  service  of  their  country. 
A  vast  field  for  private  ambition  and  patriotic  effort 
was  here  opened  before  them,  and  without  exaggera- 
tion, it  may  be  said  that  it  afforded  opportunities  for 
impressing  the  genius  of  the  age,  and  imparting  an 
impulse    to    the    progress   of    society,  which    have 


CHAPTERS   FKOM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  159 

scarcely  been,  surpassed  in  the  annals  of  our  race. 
Let  any  man  review  the  events  of  the  last  fifty  years, 
and  he  will  have  an  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  those 
difficulties  which  taxed  the  ingenuity  and  patience 
of  our  second  generation  of  statesmen.  "Who  could 
have  anticipated  these  wonderful  movements?  Who 
could  have  divined  the  sources  whence  they  sprang, 
the  lateral  connections  they  would  form,  or  the 
direction  which  they  would  take  ?  Who  could  have 
foretold  the  effects  on  England  of  her  East  India  pos- 
sessions— the  results  of  Napoleon's  wars — or  appreci- 
ated the  sudden  growth  of  Russia  and  the  convulsions 
of  South  America  ?  Who  could  have  estimated  the 
consequences  of  Whitney's  invention  of  the  Cotton- 
gin,  or  Fulton's  application  of  steam  to  navigation  ? 
And  lastly,  who  could  have  imagined,  that  within  so 
narrow  a  compass,  all  the  educational  and  benevo- 
lent enterprises  of  our  time,  would  have  been  urged 
forward  with  such  mighty  zeal  to  issues  so  stupen- 
dous !  Amid  these  exciting  scenes,  when  incidents 
were  converted  into  events,  and  the  energies  of  men 
everywhere  were  receiving  an  almost  supernatural 
enhancement,  our  young  country  was  to  take  her 
place  among  the  ruling  powers  of  the  earth — to 
Insure  respect  and  honor  by  the  demonstration  of 
her  capabilities — to  govern  herself,  both  in  relation  to 
her  citizens  at  home  and  communities  abroad — to 
call  out  her   strength  and   yet  discipline  it  to  the 


160  TEN    YEARS    OF   PKEACHEK-LIFE  ;     OE, 

work  before  her — and  above  all,  to  set  an  example 
of  moral  dignity  that  should  immortalize  the  virtues 
of  republican  character.  Could  statesmanship  have 
been  more  severely  tasked  ?  All  experience  had 
failed — all  history  had  been  belied — all  "the' founda- 
tions of  the  earth  were  out  of  course  ;"  and  yet  in  the 
presence  of  such  difficulties,  in  the  full  recognition  of 
their  amazing  vastness,  and  in  the  calm  trust  of  their 
own  faculties,  these  men  conducted  our  country 
through  her  dangers  and  exacted  from  the  world  a 
tribute  to  her  grandeur. 

The  highest  order  of  statesmanship  was  demanded 
in  this  era  of  our  national  history.  To  conceive  a 
great  and  good  system  of  government  can  scarcely 
fail  to  be  considered  the  noblest  exercise  of  the 
human  mind.  All  the  records  of  our  race  confirm 
this  assertion.  The  fortunes  of  government  are  sus- 
pended on  legislative  wisdom  and  administrative 
integrity;  and  it  is  in  this  connection,  that  the 
services  of  Calhoun,  Clay,  and  Webster  are  worthy 
of  the  most  liberal  commendation.  They  were  trained 
among  the  people.  "Whenever  they  represented  the 
people,  it  was  a  representation  in  fact,  as  well  as  m 
form.  They  cherished  its  spirit,  spoke  its  lan- 
guage, and  obeyed  its  will.  The  sacredness  of  the 
people's  homes  and  altars  was  never  forgotten,  ani  to 
its  authenticated  rights,  they  were  never  insensible. 
The  influence   of  the  people  was   then  direct  and 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  1G1 

immediate,  for  newspapers  had  not  as  yet  established 
themselves  as  a  secondary  power  between  representa- 
tives and  constituents.  Such  a  state  of  circumstances 
enabled  the  statesmen  to  act  personally  and  freely 
upon  the  mind  of  the  country,  whose  public  opinion 
was  then  under  their  control ;  editors  and  contribu- 
tors had  not  then  invaded  their  dominion,  hence 
the  full  power  of  their  position  devolved  upon  them. 
The  necessary  results  of  this  relation  may  be  easily 
apprehended.  Men  in  political  life  were  formed  to 
independent  thought,  and  measures  were  adopted  on 
their  own  merits.  The  numerous  agencies  that  now 
exert  themselves  through  the  press,  could  contribute 
neither  their  wisdom  nor  folly,  in  any  considerable 
degree,  to  the  legislative  intellect  of  the  country,  and 
personal  responsibility  in  the  halls  of  the  nation  was 
compelled  to  feel  the  magnitude  of  its  trust.  The 
various  elements  of  political  and  social  life  were 
never  more  favorably  combined  for  the  development 
of  great  character.  Talents  were  adequately  appre- 
ciated. "Wisdom  was  revered.  Patriotism  was  a 
hallowed  name.  Everything  gave  value  to  mental 
endowments  and  virtuous  services.  The  profound 
thinker,  the  far-sighted  politician,  the  philosophic 
statesman,  were  then  in  the  ascendant,  and  their 
superiority  was  acknowledged.  Genius  and  worth 
had  no  temptation  to  stand  in  the  market-place  and 
court  popularity.     Demagogism  had  not  learned  itfl 


102  TEN   TEAKS   OF   PEEACHEE-LrFE  ;     OR, 

modern  arts.  Shufflers  and  tricksters  had  not  ven 
tared  on  their  political  caricatures.  The  word 
"  Humbug "  was  not  known,  and  pantomime  was 
confined  to  theatrical  boards.  The  whole  country 
leaned  upon  its  strong  men,  and  confessed  its  obliga- 
tions to  them,  for  confidence  in  systems  had  not  yet 
betrayed  it  into  indifference  to  personal  endowments. 
The  magic  of  machinery  had  not  imposed  upon  its 
senses,  nor  had  the  lapse  of  time  begotten  a  sort  of 
superstitious  belief,  that  the  government  could  take 
care  of  itself.  Popular  knowledge  had  not  been  dif- 
fused, the  masses  of  the  people  had  nof  been  edu- 
cated ;  every  schoolboy  was  not  then  a  politician,  and 
debating  societies  did  not  settle  tariff  questions. 
Women's  Rights  conventions  had  not  threatened  their 
parliamentary  authority  over  rebellious  husbands, 
nor  issued  their  edicts  against  St.  Paul  and  other 
weak  apostles.  Brains,  in  that  day,  were  not  bought 
or  sold  ;  encyclopedias  had  not  become  substitutes 
for  study.  Europe  was  not  our  next-door  neighbor ; 
railroads,  belting  the  land,  and  telegraphs,  spanning 
the  air,  had  not  been  invented ;  men  had  not  then 
realized  their  strength.  Self-consciousness  had  not 
become  a  disease,  nor  self-reliance  a  fanatical  extra- 
vagance. The  transition  period  had  just  commenced, 
and  American  Mind  was  preparing  for  its  new  instal- 
lation. The  thoughtful  intellects  of  the  country 
began  to  see  that  there  was  more  involved  in  the 


CnAPTEES   FEOM   AN    AtJTOBIOGBAFHY.  163 

struggle  for  independence  than  they  had  imagined, 
and  ere  they  were  aware,  they  found  themselves  in  a 
partnership  with  the  mightiest  forces  of  the  universe 
in  behalf  of  eternal  truth  and  divine  right.  A  tow- 
ering mountain  summit  had  been  gained ;  could  the 
dizzy  elevation  be  maintained?  could  the  rarefied  air 
be  breathed  ?  could  Freedom  dwell  on  such  a 
heavenward  height?  and  around  its  youthful  form 
could  it  fold  the  clouds  in  which  the  fierce  lio-htnin<r 
hid  its  fire,  or  the  wild  tornado  held  its  fury  ?  Such 
were  the  questions  which  the  statesmanship  of  that 
time  had  to  answer,  and  answer,  too,  out  of  its  own 
mind  and  heart.  "Whatever  virtue  is  in  circum- 
stances, our  departed  statesmen  were  accessible  to  its 
complete  influence.  Whatever  endowments  Nature 
had  bestowed  upon  them,  there  was  ample  room  for 
their  exertion  and  display.  They  were  secure  in 
their  position,  for  the  seal  of  the  age  was  upon  them. 
Accepted  by  their  countrymen  as  the  leading  spirits 
of  their  nation,  and  marked  by  Providence  for  a 
great  work,  what  remained  for  them,  but  to  receive 
their  anointing,  and  consecrate  their  royalty  of  mind 
to  the  cause  of  humanity  ? 

There  is  one  other  fact  that  gives  a  most  irnpres- 
sive  interest  to  their  personal  and  political  position. 
The  moral  of  our  Revolution  was  the  character  of  its 
Men.  Our  strength  lay  in  kind,  not  in  degree. 
Compute  it  by  arithmetic,  and  it  seems  feeble  and 


164  TEN    YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  |      OR, 

impotent,  but  measure  it  by  intellectual  and  impas* 
sioned  sentiments,  and  tlie  number  swells  into  an 
"  exceeding  great  army."  Providence  has  often 
illustrated  this  principle  ;  Greece  was  a  small  coun- 
try, so  was  Judea,  and  yet,  what  vast  power  went 
forth  from  their  narrow  limit !  Science  may  well 
take  pleasure  in  the  insignificant.  The  coral  insect 
may  justly  be  magnified  as  the  builder  of  continents, 
and  the  humble  bee,  acknowledged  as  the  first  of 
architects.  But  if  we  wish  the  most  significant  ex- 
ample of  this  law,  we  must  turn  to  the  providential 
connections  of  man :  a  great  truth  enlarges  his 
personality,  everything  receives  his  overflowing 
life,  the  winds  and  waves  help  him,  all  nature 
takes  sides  with  him,  the  very  angels  do  his  bid- 
ding. Our  early  struggle  was  the  struggle  of  true 
and  strong-hearted  men ;  men  who  perilled  all  for 
principle ;  who  valued  their  cause  more  than  them- 
selves, and  invoked  the  martyr-spirit  to  baptize  them 
for  their  work.  Is  it,  then,  strange,  that  the  public 
opinion  of  the  country  attached  such  importance  to 
men?  The  history  of  Washington  was  before  it. 
Any  one  of  its  pages  was  sufficient  to  redeem 
the  name  of  Man,  to  establish  confidence  in  his 
noble  capacities.  Our  best  lesson  was  learned  from 
him.  It  was  not  the  mere  fact  of  his  greatness,  but 
the  peculiar  type  of  that  greatness  which  instituted 
the   heraldry  of  our  land.     If,  then,  our  statesmen 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      165 

would  be  honored  and  loved,  such  are  the  asso- 
ciations they  must  covet,  in  that  constellation  they 
must  fix  their  star.  Standing  "beside  them  in 
their  opening  career,  we  may  easily  imagine  the  ani- 
mated sentiments  and  fervent  aspirations  that  quick- 
ened the  intellects  and  warmed  the  hearts  of  our 
illustrious  Trio.  That  portion  of  their  biography 
is  already  written.  Every  man  has  done  it  for  him- 
self. Shall  the  sequel  realize  the  glowing  fancy? 
The  conditions  of  greatness  are  a  severe  tax  on  our 
wisdom  and  fortitude ;  the  sternest  laws  have  to  be 
implicitly  and  devoutly  obeyed  ;  the  hands  must 
never  weary,  nor  the  feet  ever  falter;  our  country 
must  be  our  better  self,  and  Heaven  infuse  energy 
into  every  generous  thought  and  heroic  action. 


166  TEN   TEAKS    OF   PKEACHER-LIFE  ;    OB, 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

SOCIAL    LIFE    IN    WASHINGTON,    AND    SOME    OF    ITS 
TRADITIONS. 

To  one  whose  enjoyment  of  society  is  not  im- 
paired by  a  conventional  bondage  of  fashionable 
routine,  and  whose  taste  is  not  vitiated  by  the  spirit 
of  exclnsiveness,  Washington  offers  greater  attrac- 
tions than  any  other  city  of  the  country.  Around  the 
great  officers  of  State,  are  gathered  persons  from 
every  part  of  the  Republic,  representing  all  profes- 
sions and  types  of  character.  Nearly  every  man 
in  Congress  has  made  himself  noteworthy  at  home 
by  some  gift  or  accomplishment ;  he  can  play  the 
fiddle  well,  tell  a  good  story,  manage  a  caucus,  make 
an  effective  speech,  indite  striking  paragraphs,  laugh 
loud  and  long,  listen  complaisantly  while  others  talk, 
talk  fluently  and  copiously  himself,  or  has  a  pretty 
and  clever  wife.  These  gifts  and  graces  are,  of 
course,  brought  to  the  Federal  Capital,  and  invested 
in  the  joint  stock  company  of  social  life.  The  small 
salaries  paid  to  American  officials,  and  the  drain  of 
politics  on  the  pocket,  used  to  keep  the  mass  of  our 
statesmen  in  moderate,  not  to  say  humble  circum 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      167 

stances.  The  ne^^Rraier  was  therefore  struck  by  the 
unpretending  plainness  of  the  houses  and  furniture, 
and  the  simplicity  of  the  menage  of  our  lawgivers. 
The  noble  public  edifices,  some  of  them  yet  in  course 
of  erection,  formed  as  striking  a  contrast  with  the 
private  residences  of  "Washington,  as  did  those  of 
Home  before  the  time  of  Cresar.  The  White  House 
itself,  except  for  an  occasional  gorgeous  carpet,  by  its 
meagre  and  almost  bare  appearance,  would  have 
satisfied  the  requirements  of  the  austerest  democrat ; 
nevertheless  the  doors  of  hospitality  stood  open  to 
all,  and  while  the  fare  was,  for  the  most  part,  frugal, 
it  was  rendered  acceptable  by  open-handed  kindness. 
A  President's  levee  is  probably  the  most  curious  and 
characteristic  expression  of  our  individual,  social  and 
national  peculiarities,  to  be  seen  in  any  single  specta- 
cle throughout  the  country.  No  cards  of  invitation 
are  issued,  but  notice  is  given  through  the  news- 
papers, that  on  a  stated  evening  of  every  alternate 
week,  the  Chief  Magistrate  will  receive  his  fellow- 
citizens.  The  first  and  last  of  the  season  are  usually 
the  most  interesting.  At  eight  o'clock  the  pedes- 
trians begin  to  arrive,  and  by  nine  the  carriages 
are  depositing  their  loads  at  the  main  entrance  of  the 
executive  mansion.  The  President  stands  in  a  little 
reception  room,  with  the  ladies  of  his  household  on 
his  right,  and  on  his  left  the  Marshal  of  the  District 
of  Columbia,  who,  in  a  very  unostentatious  way,  per- 


168  TEN    TEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  j     OR, 

forms  the  duty  of  grand  chainWrlain,  announcing 
to  his .  excellency  the  names  of  such  parties  as  he 
may  know.  The  President,  generally,  his  left 
hand  gloved  and  his  right  hand  bared,  spends  two 
hours  shaking  hands  with  an  uncounted  crowd,  in  such 
a  way  as  to  make  the  impression  on  each  person,  that 
he,  the  President,  is  particularly  delighted  to  see  him, 
and  that  if  he  had  only  a  little  more  time,  he  would 
vastly  enjoy  a  tete-a-tete.  The  procession  files  past 
the  President  into  the  great  east-room,  where  prom- 
enading is  the  order  of  the  evening,  until  the  press 
renders  it  impossible.  Here  are  officers  of  the  army 
and  navy  in  uniform ;  foreign  ministers  with  their 
stars  and  ribbons,  public  functionaries  of  every 
grade ;  merchants,  shopkeepers,  mechanics ;  sometimes 
a  group  of  backwoods  hunters  or  Indian  chiefs ;  and 
women  of  every  age  and  condition,  in  magnificent 
toilets  or  rustic  gear,  yet  all  good-humored  and 
polite.  I  fancy  that  it  must  the  most  extraordinary 
social  medley  to  be  witnessed  anywhere.  All  seem 
to  feel  that  the  occasion  has  equalized  them, 
there  is  neither  obsequious  suppleness  on  the  one 
hand,  or  haughty  condescension  on  the  other,  and  I 
have  never  known  a  deviation  from  the  rules  of  good 
behavior.  The  band  of  the  marine  corps  discourses 
good  music  from  a  distant  part  of  the  building,  and 
the  time  for  dispersion  is  indicated  by  the  perform- 
ance of  "  Sweet  Home,"  or  "  Yankee  Doodle." 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  169 

President  Polk's  coachman,  a  colored  man  named 
Gee,  used  to  interest  me  very  much  at  these  times. 
He  officiated  in  the  gentlemen's  dressing-room, 
receiving  and  returning  hats,  coats,  canes,  etc.  A 
party  of  a  dozen  would  enter  together  and  pass  over 
to  him  their  exterior  habiliments,  and  almost  before 
he  had  time  to  deposit  these,  another  group  would 
be  waiting  for  him ;  yet,  such  was  his  power  of  indi- 
vidualization, that  I  never  knew  him  fail  to  hand  to 
every  person  his  appropriate  belongings,  and  that  on 
the  instant.  His  was  the  most  remarkable  power  of 
memory  I  have  ever  met. 

The  asperities  of  debate,  and  the  sharpness  of  sec- 
tional views,  are  very  apt  to  be  modified  and  softened 
by  the  free  and  easy  dinner  parties  and  the  evening 
reunions  of  the  capital ;  and  these  assemblages 
are  often  more  potent  for  the  shaping  and  success 
of  measures,  than  is  the  committee-room  or  even 
the  Legislative  Hall.  It  is  rarely  the  case  that 
the  partisan  contests  of  Congress  interfere  with  the 
private  social  relations  of  the  members.  When 
Washington  society,  as  well  as  the  two  houses,  is 
divided  into  northern  and  southern  cliques,  we  may 
expect  the  dissolution  of  the  Union ;  but  so  long  as 
the  member  from  Maine  dines  in  the  evening  with 
the  member  from  Louisiana,  whose  speech  he  demo- 
lished in  the  morning ;  or  the  senators  from  Massa- 
chusetts and  Alabama  go  home  arm  in  arm  from  a 


170  TEN   TEAKS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;      OR, 

pleasant  little  supper,  notwithstanding  they  railed  at 
each  other  in  the  forenoon's  debate  ;  the  patriot  has 
little  reason  to  fear  the  exhibitions  of  onr  wordy 
gladiators.  Cold  and  austere  indeed  must  he  the 
nature  which  does  not  relax  and  soften  under  the 
influence  of  hospitable  cheer  and  good  company, 
and  the  failure  of  many  an  honorable  member  tc 
fulfill  the  pledges  made  to  his  constituents  in  the 
canvass,  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  charm  and  magnetic 
power  of  the  dinner-table.  I  am  satisfied  that 
the  stigma  of  doughface-ism,  imputed  to  political 
cowardice,  is,  for  the  most  part,  the  natural  and 
almost  inevitable  result  of  good  victual  and  drink, 
dispensed  and  received  with  genial  courtesy  and 
graceful  cordiality ;  and  that  what  is  often  stig- 
matized as  treachery  to  a  man's  party,  is  nothing 
more  or  less  than  a  testimony  to  the  strength  of  his 
own  refined  social  nature.  X owhere  are  fine  conver- 
sational powers  and  engaging  manners  more  effective 
than  in  the  capital:  many  a  man  who  is  almost 
dumb  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  and  of  whom  the 
newspaper-reading  community  hears  little  or  nothing, 
nevertheless  wields  immense  power,  and  succeeds  in 
carrying  or  thwarting  many  a  scheme,  in  virtue  of 
these  accomplishments. 

The  power  of  women  in  political  affairs  is  not  a 
recognized  fact  in  our  republican  metropolis,  as  in  the 
French  court  before  the  revolution,  and  yet  the  spell 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAI>IIY.  171 

of  bright  eyes  and  sweet  voices  is  not  only  mighty  in 
deciding  the  fate  of  private  bills,  the  appointment 
and  confirmation  of  friends  to  office,  but  often  affects 
the  entire  policy  of  the  government.  The  library  of 
Congress,  a  magnificent  room  on  the  west  side  of  the 
capitol,  is  not  so  much  a  cloister  for  book-worms  and 
plodding  students,  as  a  superb  drawing-room,  where 
fashion  and  beauty  hold  daily  court,  and  where 
honorable  members  may  seek  occasional  relief  from 
the  platitudes  of  debate,  in  proffering  delicate  atten- 
tions to  their  fair  countrywomen.  I  have  observed, 
that  while  women  are  very  apt  to  tire  of  their  seats 
in  the  galleries,  and  to  yawn  over  the  public  dis- 
quisitions of  their  friends  on  the  floor  below,  their 
interest  at  once  grows  profound  and  unflagging  when 
the  oratory  is  exchanged  for  conversation,  and  she 
becomes,  instead  of  one  in  a  thousand,  the  sole 
listener.  Many  of  the  ablest  forensic  efforts  that 
have  graced  the  capitol  were  never  chronicled 
in  the  "  Congressional  Globe"  but  are  treasured 
alone  in  the  single  heart  to  which  they  were  ad- 
dressed. 

One  hears  many  anecdotes  of  our  public  men  from 
the  lips  of  their  coevals,  and  I  may  be  allowed  to 
mention  some  of  them  in  this  place.  John  Ran- 
dolph, of  Hoanoke,  is  the  hero  of  many  a  racy 
story.  After  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain, 
the  House  was  engaged  in  the  discussion  of  the  cur- 


172  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LITE  ;     OR, 

rency  question.  Mr.  Calhoun,  one  of  the  youngest 
but  foremost  members,  toward  whom  Mr.  Randolph 
entertained  the  strongest  feelings  of  antipathy,  was 
making  an  elaborate  speech,  in  which  he  declared 
that  no  statute  of  the  country  required  the  tender  of 
gold  or  silver  for  revenue.  Mr.  Randolph,  who  sat 
near  Mr.  Webster,  leaned  toward  him  and  inquired 
if  this  were  so ;  the  latter  replied  that  he  thought  not, 
and  calling  a  page,  desired  him  to  bring  a  certain 
volume  of  the  Statutes  at  Large,  in  which  he  found  a 
law  requiring  the  payment  of  postage  in  gold  and 
silver.  He  handed  the  volume  to  Randolph,  who 
glanced  at  the  statute  and  returned  it  to  the  page, 
that  it  might  be  replaced  on  the  shelves  behind  the 
speaker's  chair.  Slowly  rising,  he  interrupted  Mr. 
Calhoun,  and  desired  to  know  through  the  speaker, 
whether  the  gentleman  from  South  Carolina  felt  posi- 
tive as  to  the  accuracy  of  his  assertion.  Mr.  Calhoun 
replied  that  he  did.  Mr.  Randolph  responded,  in 
that  irritating  tone  which  none  better  than  he  knew 
how  and  when  to  use,  that  he  had  doubts  as  to  the 
honorable  member's  correctness.  Mr.  Calhoun,  much 
chafed,  retorted  with  asperity — that  he  considered  the 
interruption  undignified  and  contemptible — that  he 
had  examined  all  the  statutes  and  knew  his  position 
to  be  impregnable.  Mr.  Randolph  then  summoned 
the  page  to  bring  him  the  desired  volume,  and  open- 
ing it,  as  if  by  accident,  at  the  very  leaf,  sent  it  to 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  173 

Mr.  Calhoun,  with  the  request  that  he  should  read  it  to 
the  House.  The  latter  was  so  much  disconcerted  that 
he  took  his  seat,  covered  with  confusion. 

The  great  Virginian,  a  lifelong  victim  to  sore  dis- 
ease, was  at  the  same  time  subject  to  great  depres- 
sion of  spirits,  at  which  times  he  was  in  hourly  expec- 
tation of  death.  Imperious  in  his  friendship  as  in  his 
disdain,  he  would  require  the  attendance  of  his 
friends  at  his  bedside,  that  thev  miffht  see  him  breathe 
his  last.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  his  servants  went 
flying  through  the  town,  bearing  messages  to  various 
persons  for  whom  he  felt  esteem,  desiring  them  to 
hasten  to  him  immediately,  if  they  would  see  him  die. 
Most  of  them  were  dressed  or  dressing  for  parties ; 
but,  obedient  to  the  mandate,  came  in  hot  haste  to 
his  lodgings.  The  emaciated  invalid,  apparently  at 
the  last  pulse,  surveyed  his  guests,  and  saw  officers  of 
both  arms  of  the  service  in  full  uniform,  and  a  group 
of  gentlemen,  old  and  young,  in  full  evening  dress. 
Scanning  them  narrowly,  he  asked,  in  a  faint,  husky 
whisper,  "  are  there  any  but  Virginians  here  ?"  Some 
one  answering,  !No ;  he  said,  "  turn  the  key  in  the  door, 
I  wish  none  but  my  compatriots  to  see  me  die." 
"  Gentlemen,"  he  continued,  "  I  want  you  to  promise 
me,  that  as  soon  as  the  breath  leaves  my  body,  yea 
will  carry  me  across  the  Potomac,  into  the  old  Do- 
minion. Bury  me  like  a  gentleman,  at  my  own 
expense,  and  not  like  pauper  Dawson,"  a  member  of 


174  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  |     OR, 

Congress  who  had  died  a  lew  days  before  and  had  been 
buried,  after  congressional  usage,  at  the  public  cost. 
The  excitement  attendant  upon  the  delivery  of  these 
remarks  seemed  to  give  him  strength,  and  he  proceed- 
ed— "  I  find  that  I  have  a  few  minutes  more  to  live, 
and  I  should  like  to  spend  them  in  asking  you  some 
questions."     Addressing  an  officer  of  the  army  who 

stood  near  him :    "  Colonel  T ,  where  were  you 

educated?"  "At  Yale  College,  sir."  "At  Yale  Col- 
lege," he  repeated  in  contemptuous  tones,  "  among  the 
Yankees  ?  Was  your  father  such  a  fool,  sir,  as  to  sup- 
pose that  the  Yankees  could  teach  a  gentleman  any- 
thing ?"  Turning  to  another  he  said,  "  And  where 
were  you  educated,  Mr.  P ?"  "  At  South  Caro- 
lina College,  sir."  "  In  South  Carolina;"  and  then 
with  increasing  warmth  and  deepening  scorn,  "  and 
your  father  sent  you  to  the  State  which  produced 
John  C.  Calhoun,  and  that  for  an  education."  As  he 
continued  his  questioning,  he  found  that  every  man 
present  had  been  educated  out  of  Virginia,  and  at 
last  became  so  furious,  that  springing  from  his  bed,  he 
determined  not  to  die  at  that  time,  and  so  dismissed 
those  who  had  come  to  be  mourners  at  a  funeral. 

I  cannot  forbear  to  insert  here  the  following  inci- 
dent related  by  Mr.  Benton.  On  one  occasion  he 
wanted  some  gold ;  that  coin  not  being  then  in  cir- 
culation, and  only  to  be  obtained  by  favor  or  pur- 
chase, he  sent  his  faithful  man  Johnny  to  the  Uni- 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  175 

ted  States  Branch  Bank  to  get  a  few  pieces,  Ameri- 
can being  the  kind  asked  for.  Johnny  returned 
without  the  gold,  delivering  the  excuse  that  the 
bank  had  none.  Instantly,  Mr.  Randolph's  clear 
silver-toned  voice  was  heard  above  its  natural  pitch, 
exclaiming,  "  their  name  is  legion,  and  they  arc  liars 
from  the  beginning.  Johnny,  bring  me  my  horse." 
His  own  saddle-horse  was  brought  him,  for  he  never 
rode  Johnny's  nor  Johnny  his,  though  both,  and  all 
his  hundred  horses,  were  of  the  finest  English  blood, 
and  he  rode  off  to  the  bank,  now  Corcoran  &  Bigg's, 
down  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  Johnny  following,  as 
always,  forty  paces  behind.  Arriving  at  the  bank, 
this  scene  took  place.  "Mr.  Randolph  asked  for  the 
state  of  his  account,  was  shown  it,  and  found  it  to  be 
some  four  thousand  dollars  in  his  favor.  lie  de- 
manded the  sum.  The  teller  took  up  packages  of 
bills  and  civilly  asked  in  what  sized  notes  he  would 
have  it.  'I  want  moneys  said  Mr.  Randolph,  empha- 
sizing the  word — and  at  that  time  it  required  a  bold 
man  to  intimate. that  United  States  Bank  notes  were 
not  money.  The  teller,  beginning  to  understand  him, 
said  inquiringly,  'You  want  silver?'  'I  want  my 
money,'  was  the  reply.  Then  the  teller,  lifting  boxes 
to  the  counter,  said  politely,  '  Have  you  a  cart,  Mr. 
Randolph,  to  put  it  in?'  'That  is  my  business,  sir,' 
said  he.  By  this  time,  the  attention  of  the  cashier 
was  attracted  to  what  was  going  on  ;  he  came  up,  and 


1 76  TEN   TEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

understanding  the  question  and  its  cause,  told  Mr. 
Randolph,  there  was  a  mistake  in  the  answer  given 
to  his  servant ;  that  they  had  gold,  and  he  should 
have  what  he  wanted. 

"  In  fact,  he  had  only  applied  for  a  few  pieces  for  a 
special  purpose.  A  compromise  was  effected,  the 
pieces  of  gold  were  received,  the  cart  and  the  silver 
dispensed  with  ;  but  the  account  with  this  bank  was 
closed,  and  a  check  taken  for  the  amount  on  New 
York." 

The  following  story  of  General  Jackson  has 
never  before,  to  my  knowledge,  seen  the  light. 
When  he  demanded  of  Louis  Philippe  indemnity 
for  the  spoliation  of  our  commerce,  the  commercial 
interest  was  panic-struck  in  apprehension  of  cer- 
tain war,  and  our  land  was  filled  with  the  invec- 
tives hurled  by  the  newspaper  organs  of  the  moneyed 
classes  against  the  great  President  and  his  policy. 
It  was  said  that  he  was  either  a  blockhead  or  a 
ruffian  ;  either  unable  to  count  the  cost  of  war,  or 
regardless  of  the  waste  of  blood  and  treasure ; 
determined  to  pursue  his  narrow  and  ignorant 
schemes,  whatever  the  risk  to  the  nation.  One 
of  the  justices  of  the  Federal  Supreme  Court  was 
about  this  period  taking  the  great  eastern  cities 
en  route  from  his  western  home  to  the  capital, 
spending  some  time  in  Boston,  New  York,  Phila- 


CHAPTERS    FROM!   AX   AUTOBIOGKAl'IIY.  177 

delphia  and  Baltimore.  As  he  was  known  to  be 
intimate  with  the  President,  lie  was  waited  upon  "by 
many  bankers  and  merchants  of  these  places,  who 
urged  him  to  remonstrate  with  the  General  against 
the  folly  and  wickedness  of  his  course  ;  representing 
that  our  commerce  would  be  crushed  and  that  all  our 
interests  would  be  ruined  in  the  unequal  nay  hope- 
less contest  with  the  great  monarchy.  They  knew, 
they  said,  the  belligerent  disposition  of  the  French 
king,  and  that  his  people  were  not  only  prepared,  but 
eager  for  war,  and  the  judge  was  implored  in  the 
most  moving  tones,  to  use  his  best  powers,  as  a  patriot, 
in  averting  the  threatened  collision,  and  to  secure  the 
fadeless  wreath  of  the  peacemaker. 

Reaching  Washington,  just  before  the  commence- 
ment of  the  session,  when  the  war  message  was  to  be 
sent  to  Congress,  the  judge  called  to  pay  his  respects 
to  the  President,  and  before  long  the  topic  of  the 
day  was  introduced.  "  Well,  Judge,"  said  the  old 
chieftain,  "  what  do  they  think  of  my  war  policy  in 
the  great  cities  ?"  The  judge,  who  had  really  been 
very  much  impressed  by  what  he  had  heard,  stated 
in  concise  but  strong  terms,  the  remonstrance  with 
which  he  had  been  charged.  The  President,  laugh- 
ing long  and  heartily,  said,  "  What  fools  they  are !" 
Opening  his  desk,  he  produced  a  map  of  France  and 
a  couple  of  letters.  The  map  showed  at  a  glance  the 
departments  which  produced  wine  and  silk,  and  on 


178  TEN   TEARS   OF   PBEACHEE-LIFE  |     OK, 

its  margin  was  a  tabular  statement,  showing  the 
number  of  the  deputies  in  the  chamber,  sent  from 
these,  as  compared  with  the  other  departments  of  the 
kingdom,  by  which  it  appeared  that  they  had  a 
strong  majority  in  the  legislative  branch  of  the 
government.  One  of  the  letters  was  from  Mr.  Liv- 
ingston, the  President's  minister  in  Paris,  announcing 
that  he  had  the  honor  to  forward  with  the  ac- 
companying map  and  annexed  information,  pre- 
pared by  himself  and  the  French  minister  of 
foreign  affairs,  an  autograph  letter  from  Louis 
Philippe.  In  this  the  king  of  the  French  stated 
explicitly  that  he  felt  the  justice  of  the  American 
President's  claim  for  indemnity,  and  was  desirous 
to  satisfy  it,  but  that  he  was  prevented  from  so  doing 
by  the  impracticable  temper  of  his  chamber  of  depu- 
ties ;  that  as  the  President  would  see  from  the  map,  its 
majority  was  composed  of  members  from  those  depart- 
ments whose  industry  would  be  ruined  by  a  war  with 
the  United  States,  yet  that  these  were  the  very  men 
who  refused  to  vote  the  supplies  to  pay  the  debt.  His 
majesty  therefore  urged  the  President  to  threaten 
immediate  war  unless  the  debt  were  paid,  with  the 
assurance  that  this  measure  would  have  the  de- 
sired effect  of  alarming  the  intractable  deputies  into 
more  equitable  dispositions. 

The  judge  therefore  joined  the  President's  hearty 
laugh,  and  felt  how  groundless  were  the  fears  and 


CHArTEES    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGKAPnY.  179 

how  undeserved  the  bitter  denunciations,  poured  out 
upon  the  head  of  the  noble  Tennessecan. 

Shortly  after  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  a  confer- 
ence of  Methodist  preachers  was  being  held  in  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee.  My  old  friend  Peter  Cartwright 
was  appointed  to  preach  in  one  of  the  churches  on 
Sunday  evening.  As  he  rose  to  announce  his  text, 
there  was  a  stir  in  the  crowded  congregation ;  he 
paused  until  the  excitement  should  subside.  The 
pastor  of  the  church  took  advantage  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  pull  the  skirt  of  the  preacher's  coat  and 
admonish  him  in  a  whisper,  "Brother  Cartwright,  you 
must  be  careful  how  you  preach  to-night,  General 
Jackson  has  just  come  in."  In  a  loud  tone,  Cart- 
wright replied,  "  what  do  you  suppose  I  care  for 
General  Jackson  ;  if  he  don't  repent  of  his  sins  and 
believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  will  die  and  be 
damned  like  any  other  sinner,"  and  then  proceeded 
with  his  sermon.  The  next  morning  (both  rose  with 
the  lark),  as  the  preacher  passed  the  general's 
quarters  in  his  morning  stroll,  a  servant  ran  after  him 
with  the  message  that  General  Jackson  wished  to  speak 
with  him.  Turning,  his  hand  was  grasped  by  the 
hero,  who  shook  it  heartily,  saying,  "  Sir,  you  are  a  man 
after  my  own  heart ;  if  I  had  a  regiment  of  men  as  brave 
as  you,  and  you  for  the  chaplain,  I'd  agree  to  conquer 
any  country  on  earth."  A  strong  friendship  sprang 
up  between  these  men,  in  whom  were  many  points  of 


180  te;n"  teaks  of  preacher-life  ;    or, 

resemblance.  Mr.  Cartwright  happened  to  travel  a 
circuit  near  the  Hermitage  and  was  often  the 
general's  guest.  One  Sunday,  the  preacher  had 
gone  home  from  church,  with  his  friend  and  a  num- 
ber of  visitors,  to  dine.  Among  other  persons  at  table, 
was  a  young  Nashville  lawyer,  who  desired  to  exhibit 
his  wit  at  the  expense  of  the  backwoods  preacher. 
Addressing  him  across  the  table,  he  said :  "  Mr.  Cart- 
wright,  do  you  really  believe  in  any  such  place  as 
Hell?  I  know  you  preach  a  great  deal  about  it,  and 
that's  all  very  well,  but  I  want  your  private  opinion  ; 
you  are  certainly  too  intelligent  a  man  to  believe 
anything  of  the  kind."  The  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone 
was  a  prominent  article  in  the  preacher's  creed.  As 
he  paused  an  instant  to  consider  how  best  to  answer 
a  fool  according  to  his  folly,  General  Jackson,  impetu- 
ously thumping  the  table  with  his  knife,  broke  in, 
"  Mr.  Jones,  I  believe  in  a  hell."  "  You,  General 
Jackson,"  said  the  startled  fledgling,  "  what  possible 
use  can  you  have  for  any  such  place  ?"  "  To  put 
such  infernal  fools  as  you  in,  sir,"  thundered  the 
infuriated  host. 

Notwithstanding  the  footing  of  easy  familiarity  on 
which  social  intercourse  in  Washington  is  conducted, 
there  are  certain  points  of  etiquette  rigorously 
adhered  to.  The  principal  of  these  is  the  rank  of 
the  different  functionaries  of  government,  about  which 
the  feeling  is  as  strong  as  in  the  army,  and  especially 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AX    AUTOBIOGRArilY.  181 

among  the  wives  of  the  parties  concerned.  For  many- 
years  it  was  an  open  question  in  theory,  whether 
foreign  ministers,  supreme  judges,  or  senators  should 
take  precedence.  It  was,  however,  practically  resolved 
by  the  overmastering  influence  of  one  man,  Henry 
Clay,  who  contended  that  the  representatives  of  the 
sovereign  States  of  the  Union  occupied  a  position 
second  only  to  that  of  the  President,  and  so  long  as 
he  lived,  his  social  power  maintained  the  superiority 
of  the  Senate;  but  since  his  death,  the  ambassadors 
and  judges  have  carried  their  point,  and  the  wives 
of  senators  must  now  therefore  leave  the  first  cards. 

I  can  give  no  better  illustration  of  Mr.  Clay's 
ascendency  in-  social  life,  than  the  following  incident, 
which  took  place  during  the  session  of  Congress  in 
the  winter  of  1840-41.  The  Whigs  had  elected 
General  Harrison  by  an  overwhelming  vote,  and 
toward  the  end  of  the  session,  which  was  to  be  closed 
by  his  inauguration,  a  meeting  of  the  leaders  of  the 
party  was  held,  to  form  a  programme  for  the  new 
administration,  and  especially  to  determine  whether 
an  extra  session  of  Congress  should  be  called.  The 
caucus  was  held  at  a  famous  restaurant,  and  was 
composed  of  twenty -three  gentlemen,  Whig  chieftains 
from  every  section  of  the  Republic.  Mr.  Clay  was 
resolved  to  have  the  extra  session  ;  Colonel  Wm.  C. 
Preston,  of  South  Carolina,  felt  that  to  call  it  would 
be  hazardous  in  the  extreme,  and  might  be  ruinous  to 


182  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE ;     OR, 

the  party,  which  in  truth  it  was.  Knowing  Mr. 
Clay's  immense  power  over  men,  Colonel  Preston 
had  visited  every  gentleman  invited  to  the  meeting, 
exchanged  views  with  them,  and  found  that  his  opin- 
ion in  regard  to  the  bad  policy  of  the  proposed 
measure  was  confirmed  by  every  one  of  them  except 
the  great  Kentuckian.  Still,  dreading  Mr.  Clay's 
authority,  he  pledged  them  to  a  manly  support  of 
these  views  in  the  forthcoming  council.  The  meet- 
ing was  initiated  by  an  ample  repast.  "When  supper 
wras  announced,  Mr.  Clay  led  the  way  and  took  the 
head  of  the  table,  presiding  with  his  accustomed 
grace  and  dignity,  charming  every  one  at  table  by 
his  fine  spirits  and  admirable  talk.  After  the  ser- 
vants had  retired  and  the  doors  were  locked,  he  ealled 
the  meeting  to  order,  announced  the  purpose  for 
which  they  were  assembled,  and  in  his  masterly  way 
unfolded  his  views  upon  the  necessity  of  a  called 
session.  He  then  asked  the  opinions  of  the  various 
gentlemen  at  the  table,  calling  them,  one  after  another, 
by  name,  not  in  the  order  of  their  seats,  but  of  their 
attachment  to  himself  and  their  known  submission 
to  his  leadership,  so  that  Mr.  Preston  came  last ;  this 
gentleman  had  entered  the  room  the  file-leader  of 
twenty-two  men  bound  to  uphold  his  views,  and  now 
found  himself  in  a  minority  of  one,  for  every  man  of 
them  had  deserted  him. 

On  another  occasion,  Mr.  Clay  felt  called  upon  to 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  183 

define  his  position  on  the  subject  of  Slavery,  and  hav- 
ing carefully  prepared  his  argument,  he  read  it  to 
Colonel  Preston,  at  the  same  time  asking  his  opinion 
of  it ;  "I  quite  agree  with  you  in  your  views,  Mr. 
Clay,"  replied  the  latter,  "  but  I  think  it  would  be 
better  for  you  to  leave  out  such  and  such  parts ;  the 
expression  of  such  opinions,  I  fear,  will  injure  your 
prospects  for  the  Presidency  in  my  part  of  the  coun- 
try." "Am  I  right  sir?"  said  Mr.  Clay.  "  I  think 
you  are,  sir,"  replied  the  other.  "Then,  sir,"  with 
that  generous  pride  and  kindling  ardor  which  made 
him  so  grand  a  nature  to  all  who  ever  knew  him,  "  I 
shall  say  every  word  of  it  and  compromise  not  one  jot 
or  tittle.  I  would  rather  be  right  than  be  President." 
If  any  of  my  readers  were  ever  fortunate  enough 
to  hear  Mr.  Clay  tell  the  following  story,  they  can 
never  forget  the  inimitable  grace  and  humor  with 
which  it  was  done.  "  While  I  was  abroad,  laboring 
to  arrange  the  terms  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  there 
appeared  a  report  of  the  negotiations  or  letters  rela- 
tive thereto,  and  several  quotations  from  my  remarks 
or  letters,  touching  certain  stipulations  in  the  treaty, 
reached  Kentucky  and  were  read  by  my  consti- 
tuents. Among  them,  was  an  old  fellow  who  went 
by  the  nickname  of  '  Old  Sandusky.'  lie  was  read- 
ing one  of  these  letters,  one  evening  at  a  near  resort, 
to  a  small  collection  of  the  neighbors.  As  he  read 
on,   he   came    across    the   sentence   '  This   must   be 


184  TEN   TEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIKE  ;      OR, 

deemed  a  sine  quel  non?  '  What's  a  sine  qua  nonts 
said  a  half  dozen  by-standers.  '  Old  Sandusky  '  was 
a  little  bothered  at  first,  but  his  good  sense  and 
natural  shrewdness  was  fully  equal  to  a  mastery  of 
the  Latin.  '  Sine — qua — non  V  said  Old  Sandusky, 
repeating  the  question  very  slowly ;  '  why,  sine  qua 
non  is  three  islands  in  Passamaquoddy  Bay,  and 
Harry  Clay  is  the  last  man  to  give  them  up !  No 
sine  qua  non,  no  treaty,  he  says  ;  and  he'll  stick  to 
it !' ':  You  should  have  seen  the  laughing  eye,  the 
change  in  the  speaker's  voice  and  manner,  to  under- 
stand the  electric  effect  the  story  had  upon  his 
hearers. 

But  of  all  the  illustrious  men  whose  presence  has 
rendered  the  society  of  Washington  so  justly  cele- 
brated, no  one  has  exercised  a  mightier  fascination 
over  the  select  circle  he  admitted  to  his  intimacy, 
than  Mr.  Webster.  You  could  scarce  have  thought, 
as  you  looked  with  an  admiration  that  approached  to 
awe,  upon  his  colossal  figure  fitly  overarched  by  his 
dome-like  head,  in  the  Senate  or  the  Court  Room, 
that  he,  so  grave  and  venerable  in  dignity,  so  grand 
in  port  and  speech,  could  yet  be  the  most  delightful 
and  mirthful  of  companions.  By  the  wealth  of  his 
memory,  his  fondness  of  story-telling,  his  enjoyment 
of  a  joke,  and  his  keen  sympathy,  he  shone  as  much 
at  the  table,  as  in  the  forum.  No  man  could  more 
completely  unbend,  without  forfeiting  your  respect, 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      185 

or  excite  greater  pleasure,  yet  plant  no  thorn  of 
regret.  He  talked  of  fat  cattle  and  green  fields,  of 
fishing  and  shooting,  of  old  hymns  and  divines  of  the 
colonial  times,  and  of  the  enrious  experiences  he  had 
picked  up  in  out-of-the-way  places  of  life.  Few 
men  had  seen  more  of  society,  its  low  places  and 
high,  than  he,  and  no  one  ever  enjoyed  the  varieties  of 
a  wide  observation  with  a  keener  relish.  Unspoiled 
by  the  world's  applause,  he  retained  his  early  simple 
tastes  and  habits  to  the  last.  Rising  an  hour  before 
the  Sun,  in  winter,  with  all  his  faculties  refreshed — 
for,  as  he  said,  he  had  a  genius  for  sleep — the  first 
application  of  his  new-born  powers  was  to  kindle  all 
the  fires  about  the  house,  for  which  task  he  thought 
himself  to  possess  as  great  genius,  as  for  sleep. 
Then,  basket  on  arm,  he  sallied  forth 'to  provide  the 
larder  for  the  day,  and  to  enjoy  a  friendly  chat  with 
the  butcher  and  market  women.  Regular,  for  the 
most  part,  in  his  habits,  he  found  early  bed-time 
necessary  to  his  early  rising,  and  usually  required 
seven,  eight,  or  even  nine  hours  of  sleep.  Neverthe- 
less, he  would  sometimes  work  twenty-four  or  even 
thirty-six  hours  continuously.  His  customary  bed- 
time was  between  nine  and  ten,  and  tired  na- 
ture would  often  assert  her  claims,  despite  the 
usurpations  of  society ;  for  he  has  been  seen  to  fall 
asleep  upon  his  feet  in  a  crowded  drawing-room,  and 
stand  nid-nid-nodding,  while  those  not  familiar  with 


186  TEN   TEARS   OF   PBEACHER-LIFE J     OR, 

him,  shocked  at  the  sight,  would  go  out  and  say  that 
they  had  seen  Mr.  Webster  drunk ;  yet   in  all  like- 
lihood, he  had  not  tasted  a  glass  of  wine  during  the 
day.     lie  never  gambled,  yet  his  purse  was  almost 
always  low,  notwithstanding  his  immense  fees.     He 
must  have  got  rid  of  as  much  money  as  did  Charles 
James  Fox,  although  by  entirely  different  methods. 
He  was  liberal   to   prodigality  and   charitable  to  a 
fault.      "When,  upon  one  occasion,   he   had   gained 
an    important     suit    for    a    poor    man,    the    client 
called  upon   Mr.  Webster's   associate   to    ask  what 
the  fee   would  be,   remarking,    at   the   same   time, 
that  he  had  only  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  to 
divide  between  them.    The  lawyer  replied,  that  they 
had  expected  to  receive  five  hundred  apiece,  but  that 
he  would  call  upon  Mr.  "Webster  and  learn  what  he 
was  willing  to  take.     Listening  to  the  poor  man's 
plight,  Mr.  Webster  said  with  inimitable  naivete,  "  I 
supposed  I  should  get  five  hundred,  and  I  need  the 
money ;  but  I'll  take  the  hundred  and  twenty-five,  for 
to  a  man  always  as  hard  up  as  1  am,  a  few  hundred 
dollars  more  or  less  is  neither  here  nor  there.     He 
was  standing  one  day  at  the  Capitol  gate,  engaged  in 
earnest  discourse  with  a  brother  senator,  when  he  was 
interrupted  by  a  poor  woman,  who  began  the  recital 
of  a  pitiful  tale.    He  cut  her  short  by  pulling  a  bank- 
note out  of  his  pocket,  thrust  it  into  her  hand,  and 
proceeded  with  his  animated  talk.     His  colleague, 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      187 

shairman  of  the  Committee  on  Finance,  and  there- 
fore considered  to  be  acute  on  money  questions — had 
observed  the  operation  and  noted  the  denomination 
of  the  bill.  Checking  his  interlocutor,  he  said : 
"Webster,  do  you  know  what  you  gave  that  beggar?" 
"  No,"  said  the  other,  a  little  chafed  by  the  interrup- 
tion; "five  dollars,  I  suppose."  "  It  was  a  hundred," 
said  his  friend.  "  It  is  no  matter  "  replied  the  other, 
"  she  needed  it  more  than  I  did." 

The  following  conversation  occurred  at  the  dinner 
table  where  Mr.  Webster  for  the  first  time  met  Col. 
Preston,  then  a  new  senator  from  South  Carolina. 
"  Col.  Preston,"  said  the  great  Massachusetts  lawyer 
in  his  stateliest  manner,  "  I  am  happy  to  greet  you 
as  a  member  of  the  body  to  which  it  is  my  pride  and 
honor  to  belong,  but  I  regret  to  see  that  southern 
gentlemen  so  often  stand  aloof  from  me."  Mr.  Pres- 
ton answered  in  polite  and  deferential  terms,  when 
the  other  continued  ;  "  the  truth  is,  I  am  far  more  a 
southern  than  a  northern  man,  and  I  think  that  I 
should  be  treated  as  '  hail-fellow'  by  all  my  southern 
colleagues."  "  May  I  beg  to  know,  said  the  other,  the 
grounds  upon  which  you  make  this  claim."  "  Cer- 
tainly," replied  Mr.  Webster.  "  In  the  first  place,  I 
am  very  fond  of  a  horse-race,  and  I  believe  the  turf 
is  a  southern  institution.  Secondly,  I  have  in  my 
cellar  a  hundred  dozen  of  the  best  Mine,  unpaid  for, 
and  that  I  understand  to  be  a  trait  of  southern  life. 


1S8  TEN    TEAKS    OF   TEE  ACHE  R-LIFE  |     OR, 

Thirdly,  before  daylight,  I  shall  be  under  the  table, 
and  I  suppose  you  are  willing  to  admit  tins  to  be 
characteristic  of  southerners."  "  Enough,"  shouted 
the  other,  laughing,  "  you  have  vindicated  your  claim 
to  be  my  compatriot." 

Some  of  my  readers  will  recollect  the  exquisite 
manner  in  which  Mr.  Webster  used  to  relate  the  fol- 
lowing. One  night,  before  railroads  were  built,  he 
was  forced  to  make  a  journey  by  private  conveyance 
from  Baltimore  to  Washington.  The  man  who  drove 
the  wagon  was  such  an  ill-looking  fellow  and  told  so 
many  stories  of  robberies  and  murders,  that  before 
they  had  gone  far,  Mr.  Webster  was  somewhat 
alarmed.  At  last  the  wagon  stopped  in  the  midst  of  a 
dense  wood,  when  the  man,  turning  suddenly  round 
to  his  passenger,  exclaimed  fiercely  ;  "  ^NTow  sir,  tell 
me  who  you  are."  Mr.  Webster  replied  in  a  faltering 
voice,  and  ready  to  spring  from  the  vehicle,  "  I  am 
Daniel  Webster,  member  of  Congress  from  Massa- 
chusetts." "  What !"  rejoined  the  driver,  grasping 
him  warmly  by  the  hand,  "  are  you  Webster  ? 
Thank  God  !  thank  God  !  You  were  such  an  ugly 
chap  that  I  took  you  for  a  highwayman." 

But  it  is  time  that  I  should  turn  my  back  upon  the 
capital  and  resume  my  pilgrim  staff. 


CHAPTEES   I  ROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  189 


CHAPTEK  XV. 

A    WEDDING     TRIP. 

Congress  adjourned  10th  of  August,  1816.  Three 
days  afterward  I  was  married  in  Baltimore,  taking 
Philadelphia,  New  York,  Boston,  Niagara  Falls  and 
Chicago,  by  way  of  the  Great  Lakes,  en  route  to 
Paris,  the  seat  of  the  Illinois  Conference.  The  first 
time  I  visited  Chicago  was  in  July,  1811,  when  it  was 
a  miserable  little  village  of  log-cabins  and  frame- 
houses,  standing  by  the  lake  on  ground  almost  low 
enough  to  be  a  marsh.  The  ague  and  bilious  fever 
seemed  to  stalk  the  streets  as  lords  paramount,  and  a 
sorrier  set  of  squatters  than  formed  its  population,  one 
could  not  wish  to  see.  And  yet  during  the  speculat- 
ing mania,  a  few  years  before,  town  lots  in  this  pros- 
pective centre  of  an  empire,  encompassed  by  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  acres  of  unfenced,  flat,  wet  prairie, 
were  assessed  at  prices  which  would  have  been 
esteemed  enormous  for  eligible  sites  in  London  or 
Paris.  The  revulsion,  however,  had  brought  Chicago 
to  its  lowest  ebb,  and  you  might  almost  have  bought 
the  town  site  for  a  thousand  dollars.     On  my  second 


190  TEN   TEARS    OF    1>REACIIER-LIFE ;     OR, 

visit,  it  seemed  to  be,  as  they  called  it,  "a  smart  chunk 
of  a  town,"  with  a  few  piers  thrust  into  the  lake,  at 
which  lav  noLle  steamers,  while  numerous  sloops 
and  schooners  were  moored  along  the  shore ;  a  few 
brick  houses  relieved  the  monotony  of  log  and  white 
frame,  and  the  townspeople  thought  chat  when  the 
canal  connecting  the  Illinois  River  with  Lake  Michi 
gan  should  be  finished,  it  would  be  "  a  right  sharp 
place."  I  was  there  again  in  1S55 :  it  had  grown, 
in  14  years,  from  a  village  of  three  thousand  inhabi 
tantej  to  be  a  city  with  a  population  from  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty,  to  forty  thousand ;  the  terminus  of 
countless  railroads,  one  of  them  then  the  longest  on 
the  earth.  1  suppose  that  its  tax  list  embraced  the 
names  of  the  keenest,  most  adventurous  and  reckless 
land-jobbers  and  speculators  in  the  world,  out  of 
California  and  Australia,  and  that  a  more  pestilential 
atmosphere  for  the  intellect  and  morals  never  cano- 
pied a  civilized  place.  Colossal  fortunes  had  been 
acquired  in  a  trice,  and  every  form  of  vicious  extrav- 
agance had  to  be  created,  as  a  mill-tail  to  relieve  the 
pond  of  redundant  prosperity.  Broad  avenues,  lined 
with  marble  and  brown-stone  fronts,  stretched  away 
toward  the  retreating  prairie,  and  splendid  equipages 
Hashed  along  the  streets,  which  had  just  been  raised 
four  feet  out  of  the  mud.  Scarce  a  man  had  time 
to  stop  and  chat  with  you,  and  even  the  old-fashioned 
western  lawyers,  the  jolliest  crew  that  ever  cracked 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  101 

jokes  in  a  log  bar-room,  were  transformed  into  quick- 
witted money-changers.  All  the  talk  you  heard  on 
the  street,  in  offices  and  stores,  was  of  cent  per  cent. 
corner  lots,  shaving  paper,  land  warrants,  preemption 
claims,  new  locations  and  a  chance  to  make  a  fur- 
time.  And  if  you  happened  to  sit  down  by  a  cozy 
fireside,  hoping  to  have  a  rational  talk  with  some  old 
friend,  you  were  astonished  into  silence  by  his  per- 
sistent demonstration  that  in  ten  years  Chicago 
would  be  ahead  of  Xew  York,  in  wealth,  population 
and  power,  and  by  the  prophecy  that  in  so  many 
other  years,  it  would  leave  London  far  behind.  In 
truth,  I  never  saw  so  many  crazy  or  intoxicated 
people  huddled  together  in  one  bedlam  or  drinking 
shop — which  it  was,  I  never  could  make  out.  The 
tone  of  its  population  formed  the  most  sadly  impres- 
sive commentary  upon  making  haste  to  be  rich. 
Everywhere  men  and  women  were  rioting  in  ostenta- 
tion or  stimulated  to  frenzied  energy,  racking  their 
brains  with  schemes  of  sudden  fortune,  or  if  rich,  then 
wasting  thousands  in  senseless,  tasteless  show;  ac- 
counting man's  life  to  consist  in  the  abundance  which 
he  possesseth,  and  wasting  breath  to  clutch  the  unsub- 
stantial shadow  of  a  dream. 

After  a  quiet  Sabbath,  spent  with  an  old  friend,  we 
started,  bright  and  early,  in  a  stage  coach  with  eleven 
passengers — (in   those   days,  Chicago    had    no    rail 
roads) — for  Peru,   the   head  of  navigation   on    the 


192  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE;     OR, 

Illinois  River.  The  distance  was  a  hundred  miles, 
and  we  accomplished  it  in  about  twenty-four  hours. 
The  Illinois  was  very  low,  and  only  the  smallest  boats 
could  navigate  it.  A  sort  of  mud  shallop,  dignified  by 
the  appellation  of  a  stern-wheel  steamer,  awaited  our 
arrival  at  Peru,  and  according  to  the  fashion  of  western 
boatmen,  several  hours  after  everything  was  in  readi- 
ness for  our  departure,  the  captain  rang  the  bell  and 
we  started.  Our  fare  at  dinner  was,  of  course,  the 
never  eaten  roast  beef,  roast  pig  and  sole-leather 
pudding ;  and  for  breakfast  and  tea,  a  dark  colored 
witch's  broth,  that  reminded  one  of  Mr.  Randolph's 
retort  upon  a  waiter,  in  hearing  of  the  proprietor  of 
a  Richmond  hotel.  "  Boy,"  said  the  beardless  lord  of 
Roanoake, "  change  my  cup."  "  "Will  you  have  coffee  or 
tea,  Mr.  Randolph  ?"  :'  If  this  is  coffee,  bring  me  tea ; 
and  if  this  is  tea,  bring  me  coffee — I  want  a  change." 
An  experience  of  twenty-four  hours  upon  the 
wretched  little  craft,  made  us  glad  to  exchange 
sailing  for  staging,  at  Peoria.  Bidding  adieu  to  our 
travelling  companions,  my  wife  and  I  started,  sole 
occupants  of  a  coach,  for  a  long  ride  across  the  State 
from  west  to  east.  Eleven  miles  out  of  town,  we 
were  informed  that  we  must  leave  the  stage,  with  its 
four  horses,  and  take  a  wagon  with  two,  as  "  they 
only  kept  the  stage  for  grandeur,  to  run  into 
'  Peory.'  "  But  we  were  young  and  light-hearted, 
and  as  the  weather  was  fine,  thought  we  could  put 


CI  RS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  193 

up  with  rough  accommodations.  Placing  a  trunk  in 
the  rear  of  the  wagon — which,  by  the  way,  had  only 
wooden  springs — to  make  a  more  comfortable  seat 
than  the  rough  unplaned  board,  we  jolted  off.  At 
the  house  where  we  stopped  to  dine,  my  wife  was  for 
the  first  time,  introduced  to  all  the  mysteries  of  a 
western  kitchen.  The  chickens  were  killed,  picked 
and  cleaned,  cooked  and  served  before  our  eyes,  and 
the  leaden  biscuits  and  half  raw  corn  bread  were 
kneaded  and  baked  under-  our  inspection.  Mine  was 
a  hearty  meal,  but  hers  was  very  slender.  I  had  the 
advantage  of  her  in  being  accustomed  to  such  fare, 
and  withal,  as  she  averred  after  starting  tor  our  after- 
noon's ride,  in  the  fact  that  I  couldn't  see  what  1  was 
eating.  Eyes,  she  thought,  were  very  much  in  the 
loay  of  people  who  proposed  to  travel  "  out  "West." 
Indeed,  one  of  the  precepts  of  the  country  is,  "  Shut 
your  eyes  and  go  it  blind,"  and  it  may  have  sprung 
from  the  amount  of  dirt  intermixed  with  some  man's 
dinner.  Toward  sundown,  we  were  approaching  the 
town  of  Bloomington,  where  we  were  to  lie  over  until 
two  the  next  morning,  in  order  to  make  connection 
with  another  stage  line.  I  inquired  of  our  driver,  what 
sort  of  accommodations  we  should  find  at  the  hotel 
in  town.  He  assured  us  that  we  should  get  nothing 
fit  to  eat,  and  that  if  we  attempted  to  sleep,  the  bed- 
bugs would  eat  us  up.  Kot  disposed  to  run  this 
gauntlet,  I  asked  him  to  drive  me  to  the  door  of  the 

9 


104  TEN    TEAKS    OF   PKEACIIER-LIF  I, 

Methodist  that  lived  in  the  largest  an  rfiost  comfort- 
able  house.     As  we  stopped  at  the  the  clatter 

of  knives,  forks  and  plates  within,  i  ae  sound  of 

merry  voices,  announced  that  the  fi  were  at  sup- 

per.   "  Halloo  the  house  !"  cried  I.  illoo  yourself; 

what  do  you  want?"  was  the  re  "I  am  travel- 

ling with  my  wife,  and  learning  the  quarters  at 

the  hotel  are  bad,  have  come  f;t  some  supper  and 

spend  a  part  of  the  night  n."     As  I  said  this, 

I  was  making  the  w  -  by  getting  out  of  the 

wagon.     The  mr  ^e  house    came   striding  to- 

ward the  gp4  g  in  an  angry  tone,  "  Look  here, 

stranger  ^n't  keep  a  tavern,  and  if  you're  a 

trar  >u  must  put  up  with  traveller's  fare  and 

g  .e  hotel."    "  Don't  be  so  savage,"  said  I,  "have 

yon  never  heard  the  saying,  be  not  forgetful  to  en- 
tertain strangers,  for  some  have  thereby  entertained 
angels  unawares."  "  Oh,  ho,"  said  he,  "  that  sounds 
like  preaching,  you  ain't  a  preacher,  are  you  ?"  I 
intimated  that  I  was,  and  mentioned  my  name. 
Eying  me  from  head  to  foot,  he  exclaimed :  "  Well,  I 
never !  Who  would  have  taken  such  a  poor  little 
dried  up  specimen  as  you  for  that  man ;  why  we've 
thought  of  trying  to  get  you  here  as  our  preacher." 

Of  course  we  received  a  hearty  welcome,  and 
ere  long  were  seated  at  a  bountiful  board.  But  we 
had  not  finished  supper,  when  a  messenger  came  in 
hot  haste,  with  the  request  that  I  should  go  to  visit  a 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  195 

dying  man  and  administer  the  last  offices  of  religion  to 
him.  I  spent  a  couple  of  hours  by  his  bed-side,  and 
in  attempting  to  console  his  heart-broken  wife,  then 
by  ten  o'clock,  was  fast  asleep.  At  two,  we  were 
roused  by  the  elemental  strife,  by  the  horn  and 
shouts  of  our  stage  driver.  "We  were  soon  seated  in 
our  miserable  wagon,  with  no  protection  from  the 
driving  rain  but  a  tow  linen  cover,  through  which 
the  water  dripped  in  showers.  "We  had  been  over- 
taken by  a  furious  equinoctial  storm,  which  began 
about  midnight,  and  our  plight  was  pitiable  enough. 
The  temperature  had  fallen  about  forty  degrees ;  the 
night  was  pitchy  dark,  only  relieved  by  frequent 
flashes  of  lightning,  most  vivid  and  sometimes  appall- 
ing, instantly  followed  by  sharp  and  stunning  reports 
of  thunder ;  but  the  flashes  helped  to  light  our  driver 
on  his  way,  or  would  have  done  so,  had  they  not 
showed  the  whole  prairie,  a  pool  of  water.  After  a 
time,  we  reached  a  little  belt  of  timber,  indicating 
our  approach  to  a  creek.  As  we  crossed  the  bridge, 
we  heard  the  now  swollen  torrent  rushing  through 
a  deep  ravine,  when  the  broad  glare  revealed  our 
position. 

"  By  Jove !"  shouted  the  driver  with  glee ; 
u  Weren't  that  lucky?  a  half  minute  more  and 
we'd  have  been  all  smashed.  I  never  was  so  near 
goin  over  a  bridge;  half  an  inch  more,  and  we'd 
been  over,  and  then  salt  wouldn't  have  saved  us." 


190  TEX   YEAttS    OF    PEEACITER-LIFE  |      OR, 

To  the   rather  timid   question   of  my  wife,   as    lo 

whether  there  were  any  more  bad  bridges  to  cross 
before  daylight,  he  replied;  "Oh  yes,  severals ;  but 
you  mustn't  be  skeered ;  we  must  all  die  sometime, 
you  know." 

At  length,  day  broke  and  revealed  the  dismal 
picture  of  a  cold,  leaden  sky,  from  which  torrents 
still  poured  upon  the  low  prairie,  that  appeared  a 
lake.  It  seemed  as  if  chaos  had  come  again,  and 
that  the  waters  under  the  firmament  were  united  to 
the  waters  above  the  firmament,  and  the  dry  land 
had  disappeared.  We  floundered  on  through  the 
water,  until,  several  hours  behind  time,  we  reached 
the  breakfast-house.  It  was  a  I02;  cabin  of  a  single 
room,  and  the  only  habitation  within  many  miles. 
The  front  door  was  nailed  up,  and  entering  by  the 
back  one,  we  found  the  entire  family  stretched  out 
upon  beds  and  shake  downs.  "  What's  the  matter?" 
I  said.  "  Oh,"  answered  a  saffron  colored,  shrivelled 
old  woman,  at  the  same  time  crawling  out  of  her 
bed,  "  we've  all  got  the  ager,  bilious  and  conges- 
tive." "  Have  any  died  ?"  I  said.  "  Yes,  two  or 
three,"  she  answered,  "  and  I  reckon  the  rest  cf  us'll 
be  dead  soon,  for  there  ain't  one  well  enough  to  wait 
upon  another."  "I  suppose  there's  no  chance  for 
breakfast  then."  "  If  you're  willing  to'  take  what 
you  can  ketch,  we  wouldn't  like  to  see  you  starvin." 
She  gave  us  the  best  her  larder  afforded,  and  offering  a 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  197 

prayer  with  the  miserable  people,  we  pursued  our 
weary  way,  and  late  in  the  afternoon,  reached  a  place, 
called  Mount  Pleasant,  evidently  to  show  how  great 
is  the  difference  between  names  and  things.  It  was  a 
wretched  hamlet,  consisting  of  a  tavern,  a  groggery 
and  a  blacksmith  shop,  squatted  upon  the  edge  of  a 
low  prairie.  Here  we  had  to  lie  over  again  foi 
another  stage  connection,  and  T  advised  my  wife  to 
improve  the  interval  by  seeking  needed  repose.  She 
stretched  herself  upon  the  bed  and  I  took  the  floor; 
but  scarcely  were  we  composed,  before  a  great  rat, 
who  had  probably  been  enjoying  a  siesta,  started 
from  the  neighborhood  of  her  pillow  and  springing 
over  her  head,  landed  near  me.  Of  course,  sleep 
refused  to  visit  her  eyelids  in  that  house.  Toward 
nightfall  a  carriage  stopped  at  the  door,  and  we 
found  ourselves  joined  by  a  New  England  gentleman, 
his  wife,  and  several  children,  who,  we  were  not 
long  in  discovering,  were  on  their  way  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Peoria,  as  missionaries.  I  confess  to  the 
wickedness  of  rather  enjoying  their  lugubrious  estate. 
In  common  with  my  brother  Methodist  preachers 
on  the  frontier,  I  had  become  prejudiced  against  a 
very  worthy  class  of  orthodox  New  England  evange- 
lists, who  are  accustomed  to  enter  the  new  countries, 
and  before  doing  any  real  service,  or  facing  many 
of  the  hardships  and  privations  of  border  life, 
hasten  back  to  their  native  land,  to  tell  long  and 


198  TEN    YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  J      OR, 

gloomy  stories  concerning  the  destitution  and  heath- 
enism of  the  great  West,  and  to  raise  collections  for 
sending  the  Gospel  to  those  pagan  parts.  They 
seemed  to  think  that  because  they  had  failed  to  stay 
and  do  their  duty,  there  were  no  ministers  or  church 
in  prairie  land;  while  we  had  been  there  from 
the  earliest  settlements;  had  preached  to  the  Indi- 
ans and  the  first  squatters,  had  borne  the  heat  and 
burden  of  the  day,  and  thought,  according  to  the 
course  of  nature,  that  these  sprigs  of  theological 
seminaries  had  no  right  to  represent  us,  though 
inferior  to  them  in  the  matter  of  Hebrew  and  Greek 
roots,  as  little  better  than  the  wicked.  Yielding 
to  the  impulse,  I  was  not  sorry  to  find  the  new 
comer  very  much  depressed,  nor  was  I  very  much 
disposed  to  help  him  toward  a  more  cheerful  frame 
of  mind,  but  thought,  as  he  had  left  his  native 
land  to  be  a  missionary,  his  heroic  purpose  should 
have  the  benefit  of  a  thorough  test.  He  related  the 
doleful  way  he  had  come,  how  the  roads  were  almost 
impassable,  and  the  people,  in  every  house,  sick  and 
dying ;  how  he  had  heard  that  a  man,  seized  by  a 
congestive  chill,  would  sometimes  die  in  an  hour, 
and  that  the  victims  never  survived  a  third  attack. 
T  told  him  that,  so  far  as  I  knew,  this  was  true,  and 
in  reply  to  his  eager  questions  as  to  the  condition 
of  the  country  through  which  I  had  come,  could 
only  assure   him  that   it  was  quite   as  bad   as  that 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      199 

through  which  lie  had  travelled,  and  if  possible, 
worse.  While  lie  and  liis  wife  were  holding  an 
anxious  consultation,  as  to  whether  they  should  not, 
with  the  morrow's  dawn,  turn  their  backs  upon  this 
region  of  horrors,  ouv  stage  drove  up  and  we  em- 
barked, for  judging  from  the  rain-covered  earth, 
you  might  almost  as  well  say  that  it  was  sailing,  as 
riding.  Our  conveyance  to-night,  was  an  improve- 
ment upon  the  last,  but  it  was  not  much  to  boast  of; 
only  an  old,  broken-down  coach,  with  both  the  win- 
dows out,  and  a  mass  of  wet  mail  bags  piled  upon 
the  front  seat.  Nevertheless,  we  made  ourselves 
comfortable  as  might  be,  my  wife  taking  possession 
of  the  back  seat,  while  I,  doubled  up  in  as  small 
compass  as  possible,  lay  upon  some  hay  on  the  floor. 
Plumnnj*  through  mud  and  mire,  sometimes  stall- 
ing  in  a  particularly  bad  place,  and  at  the  best  get- 
ting forward  only  at  a  snail's  pace,  I  was  suddenly 
roused  from  a  fitful  nap,  by  the  sound  of  a  man's 
voice,  in  angry  conversation  with  the  driver.  Our 
lumps  disclosed  a  man  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  riding  a 
horse  and  leading  another.  His  mouth  was  filled 
with  blasphemous  oaths,  and  he  was  the  very  imper- 
sonation of  unbridled  rage.  lie  proved  to  be  the 
driver  of  a  coach  coming  from  the  opposite  direction. 
His  team  had  mired  some  distance  back,  and  he  had  no 
alternative  but  to  unharness  and  go  a  dozen  miles  fur 
help,  leaving  his  stage  and  the  mails  in  the  slough.  An 


200  TEN"   YEAKS    OF   PEEACIIEK-LIFE  ;    OK, 

horn*  afterward  we  readied  the  foundered  coach,  and 
by  way  of  giving  myself  something  to  do,  I  shouted  at 
the  top  of  my  voice,  "  Halloo !  the  stage!"  "When,  to 
my  surprise,  for  I  had  not  dreamed  that  a  human 
being  save  ourselves  was  near,  there  came  forth  the 
reply  in  a  cheery  tone — "  halloo,  yourself,  and  tell  me 
how  you  like  it."  "  "Who  are  you  V  I  asked,  "  and  what 
are  you  doing  there  ?"  "  Only  a  passenger,  and  tak- 
ing it  comfortably,"  he  answered.  His  composure 
was  as  imperturbable  as  the  driver's  wrath  had  been 
boisterous.  Toward  daylight,  Ave  suddenly  drew  up 
again,  and  the  driver  shouted,  "  Out !  out !  for  your 
lives  !  I  am  on  a  bad  bridge,  and  I  reckon  we'll  go 
through !"  I  opened  the  door,  sprang  out  in  the 
darkness,  and  found  myself  performing  a  series  of 
somersaults  down  an  inclined  plane  of  mud,  and 
landed  in  a  swamp.  "  You  don't  expect  my  wife  to 
get  out  here,  I  hope,"  I  said,  as  soon  as  I  could  get 
breath.  "  Do  you  want  her  neck  broke?"  he  asked. 
"  JSTot  exactly,  for  lam  just  married;  you  lubberly 
fellow,  why  don't  you  get  down  and  carry  her  to  the 
bridge  ?  It  will  hold  her,  if  it  won't  the  team  ;" 
"Hold  the  horses,  then,"  said  he;  and  I  managed  to 
crawl  to  their  heads,  keeping  them  steady,  while  he 
deposited  my  wife  on  the  shaking  timbers,  drenched 
by  the  falling  rain,  while  the  swollen  torrent  rushed 
and  roared  through  the  black  chasm  beneath  our 
feet.     There  we  stood  for  an  hour,  while  he  backed 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  201 

his  team  down,  and  drove  off  to  find  a  ford  across 
the  swollen  current.  At  length  he  returned,  and  we, 
chilled  to  the  bone,  wet  to  the  skin,  capital  subjects 
for  congestive  fever,  ma^e  our  way  back  to  our 
places,  thankful  to  be  alive,  with  whole  bones.  An- 
other dreary  day  came  at  last,  and  an  early  dinner- 
time found  us  established  before  a  blazing  fire  in  the 
hotel  of  Danville.  Having  partaken  of  the  bacon 
and  greens,  my  wife  thought  she  would  try  to  take 
a  nap,  while  I  went  out  to  look  for  a  conveyance 
to  Paris,  distant  about  forty  miles,  for  the  stage 
route  terminated  here.  It  was  not  long  however, 
before  my  search  for  carriage  and  horses  was  arrested 
by  a  hurried  message,  requesting  that  I  should  visit 
a  brother  preacher,  who  lay  dying  with  congestive 
fever.  He  was  a  noble  fellow,  thoroughly  enlisted  in 
his  work,  had  joined  the  conference,  at  the  same 
time  I  did,  and  was  now  ceasing  at  once  to  work  and 
to  live.  He  was  collected  and  peaceful,  for  the  sting 
of  death  was  gone.  As  I  bade  him  farewell,  he  said, 
"  you  will  see  the  brethren  to-morrow,  but  I  shall 
never  see  them  again  until  we  meet  before  the  throne. 
Tell  the  conference  that  I  died  at  my  post."  A  little 
while  after,  he  entered  his  rest. 

It  took  me  two  full  hours  to  arrange  for  our  start, 
procuring  a  horse  from  one  man,  a  second  from  ano- 
ther, a  set  of  harness  from  a  third,  another  set  from 
a  fourth,  a  carry-all  from  a  fifth,  and  after  much  diffi- 

9* 


202  TEN    YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 

culty  1  succeeded  in  persuading  a  blacksmith  to  act 
as  driver.  All  things  being  in  readiness,  I  drove  up  to 
the  hotel  for  my  wife,  supposing  that  I  should  rind 
her  refreshed  by  a  good  nap,  but  she  had  hardly  lain 
down  when  two-thirds  of  the  ceiling  of  the  room  fell 
with  a  crash,  barely  missing  her  head. 

After  that,  sleep  was  of  course  out  of  the  question. 
The  night  came  down  upon  us  still  twenty  miles 
from  Paris,  and  in  front  of  a  rather  good-looking 
house,  which  our  driver  assured  us  was  the  only 
one  fit  to  stop  at  on  the  whole  road.  I  requested 
him,  therefore,  to  inquire  if  they  could  accom- 
modate us  with  supper  and  bed.  They  answered, 
"  No,  they  could  not  take  strange  travellers."  The 
driver  said  that  it  was  impossible  to  go  on  to  Paris, 
that  he  did  not  know  the  road,  and  we  should 
be  sure  to  get  lost,  for  the  night  was  going  to  be 
pitchy  dark.  I  was  not  disposed  to  endure  hunger 
and  cold  and  darkness  for  twelve  mortal  hours,  to 
gratify  the  inhospitable  churls;  so,  alighting,  I  bade 
the  driver  take  off  the  luggage,  and  started  for  the 
house,  but  was  met,  before  reaching  the  door,  by  its 
master. 

"  Didn't  I  send  you  word  you  couldn't  stay  here." 
lie  began.  "  Of  course  you  did,"  I  answered,  "  but 
I  am  going  to  stay  all  the  same.  Are  you  savage 
enough  to  make  a  woman  spend  the  night  on  the 
prair}e,  and  you   sleeping  with  a  house  over  your 


0HAPTEE8    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGKAPHY.  203 

head?  the  Indians  ain't  as  mean  as  that."  "Well,  1 
reckon  you'll  have  to  stop  ;  you're  a  right  determined 
little  creeter.  Once  in  the  house,  they  made  us  com- 
fortable. When  bedtime  arrived,  I  said,  "  I  am  a 
Methodist  preacher."  "  You !"  interrupted  our  host, 
"  who'd  ha'  thought  such  a  lookin'  little  thing  as  you 
was  a  preacher !"  •"  Yes  I  am  a  Methodist  preacher," 
I  continued,  "  and  it  is  my  custom  to  have  prayers 
with  the  families  in  which  I  stay,  if  there  be  no 
objection."  "I'm  agreeable,  fire  away,"  said  the 
landlord.  Onr  devotions  over,  we  prepared  to  retire. 
There  were  two  sleeping  apartments  ;  one  belonging 
to  the  family,  consisting  of  a  dozen  grown  people 
besides  sundry  children ;  the  other,  through  which,  by 
the  way,  the  entire  brigade  had  to  pass  on  their  way 
to  and  from  bed,  was  assigned  to  us.  There  happened 
to  be  a  young  woman  visiting  the  family,  and  she  was 
shown  to  a  second  bed  in  our  room.  She  and  my 
wife  had  gone  in  to  undress,  when  the  latter,  feeling 
sympathy  for  a  girl  in  such  delicate  circumstances, 
said  in  a  commiserating  tone,  "  I  am  sorry  you  are 
obliged  to  sleep  in  this  way."  "  Yes,  replied  the 
other,  feeling  the  bed-clothes,  "it  is  kinder  uncomfor- 
table when  a  body's  been  used  to  sleeping  between 
blankets,  to  have  to  lay  on  a  sheet."  Bright  and 
early  next  morning  we  were  roused  by  the  heavy- 
shod  platoon  marching  by  us  on  their  way  to  their 
day's  work.     Prayers  and  breakfast  over,  we  were 


20±  TEN    YEARS   OF    PREACHER-LIFE  J     OR, 

ready  for  the  road,  when  I  said  to  mine  host,  "  what's 
your  hill  I"  "  The  damage,  you  mean  ?  "Will  you  pay 
me  what  I  ask?"  "  Certainly,  if  I  can."  "  Well,  if 
you  ever  come  within  ten  miles  of  us  again,  give  us 
a  call  and  stay  all  night ;  I'll  be  consarned  if  I  don't 
like  seech  a  chap  as  you  are." 

High  noon  found  us  in  Paris..  This  was  Satur- 
day ;  we  had  left  Chicago  on  Monday.  You  can 
now  leave  it  by  rail,  after  a  comfortable  breakfast,  and 
take  a  late  dinner  the  same  afternoon  in  Paris.  Con- 
ference had  been  in  session  since  Wednesday,  and 
you'can  well  fancy  that  the  meeting  with  old  friends 
after  a  year's  separation  was  a  joyous  one. 

The  bishop  presiding  was  the  victim  of  a  heart-dis- 
ease. Over  his  head  the  sword  of  Damocles  hung 
ever  suspended  by  a  hair,  the  death's  head  was  never 
absent  from  his  banquet,  and  the  dread  of  sudden 
death  had  discolored  all  his  ideas  of  life.  He  was 
the  morbid  and  sworn  foe  to  everything  like  gaiety, 
and  while  not  sour  or  sullen,  yet  his  piety  was  weighty 
and  lugubrious.  It  may  well  be  imagined  that  such 
a  chairman  had  trouble  to  keep  in  order  a  man  like 
Peter  Cartwright,  with  whom  humor  and  drollery 
are  as  natural  as  to  breathe.  Brother  Cartwright 
had  the  floor  one  day,  and  by  his  irresistible  fun, 
set  the  Conference  in  a  roar.  "Stop,  Brother  Cart- 
wright," said  the  bishop ;  "  I  cannot  allow  such 
sin  to    be   committed   among  Methodist   preachers 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  205 

when  I  have  the  charge  of  them.  I  read  in  the 
Bible,  be  angry  and  sin  not,  but  I  nowhere  see, 
laugh  and  sin  not.  Let  us  bow  down  and  con- 
fess our  offence.  Brother  Cartwright,  lead  in 
prayer."  The  backwoods  preacher  kneeled  and 
repeated  the  Lord's  prayer,  and  then  rising,  said, 
"  Look  here,  Mr.  Bishop,  when  I  dig  potatoes,  I  dig 
potatoes ;  when  I  hoe  corn,  I  hoe  corn  ;  when  I  pray, 
I  pray ;  and  when  I  attend  to  business,  I  wrant  to 
attend  to  business — I  wish  you  did  too,  and  I  don't 
want  you  to  take  such  snap  judgment  on  me  again." 

"Brother,"  said  the  bishop,  in  a  monitory  tone, 
"  do  you  think  you  are  growing  in  grace  ?"  "  Yes, 
bishop,  I  think  I  am — in  spots."  'It  is  hardly  neces- 
sary to  add  that  the  bishop  gave  him  up  as  incorrigible. 

One  of  my  cronies,  Billy  Butledge,  as  we  called 
him,  as  genial,  warm-hearted  and  lovable  a  Methodist 
preacher  as  ever  carried  a  pair  of  saddle-bags,  had 
brought  a  carriage  to  Paris  to  take  us  to  my  father's 
home,  a  three  days'  drive.  The  first  evening,  we 
reached  the  edge  of  the  grand  prairie,  where  stood 
a  single  cabin,  consisting  of  two  rooms.  About 
twenty-five  preachers  were  in  our  company,  and  this 
was  the  only  house  at  which  we  could  put  up.  The 
people  received  us  gladly,  notwithstanding  the  dis- 
parity between  our  numbers  and  their  accommoda- 
tions, and  said  they  would  do  their  best  for  us. 
The  horses  were  cared  for,  and  active  preparations 


206  ten  YTr.A-R.fi  of  vkeaciieu-life;   or, 

made  for  supper.  One  party  filed  in  to  the  suppei 
table  as  another  left  it,  in  due  time  we  all  ate 
and  were  filled;  then,  gathering  around  the  huge 
fireplace  in  the  other  room,  our  venerable  friend 
Dr.  Akers,  occupying  the  seat  of  Gamaliel,  ex- 
pounded such  knotty  points  in  divinity  as  were 
proposed  by  the  juniors.  It  was  a  picturesque  scene, 
as  the  ruddy  glare  of  the  pine-knots,  shining  from 
the  chimney  corner,  lit  up  the  eager,  generous 
faces  of  a  score  of  devoted  itinerants,  to  wh'Sm  hard- 
ship and  privations  were  as  nothing,  and  unrewarded 
toil  a  pleasure.  It  would  have  done  your  heart  good, 
in  the  pauses  of  graver  discourse,  to  listen  to  their 
good  stories,  followed  by  the  peals  of  hearty  laugh- 
ter ;  then  as  bed-time  drew  near,  and  the  lesson 
had  been  read,  to  hear  their  full  voices  join  in  the 
evening  hymn,  followed  by  fervent  responses  to 
the  prayer  which  commended  them  and  all  they 
loved  to  the  care  of  Him  who  never  slumbers.  There 
was  one  bedstead  in  the  room,  for  my  wife  and  myself, 
she  being  the  only  woman  of  the  party  ;  while  shuck- 
mattresses  and  buffalo  skins  were  laid  upon  the  floor 
for  the  men,  some  of  the  juniors  repairing  to  the 
hay-mow,  no  unusual  chamber  for  a  circuit  rider. 
These  arrangements  completed,  the  room  was  va- 
cated to  afford  my  wife  an  opportunity  of  undressing. 
The  pine-knots  were  then  extinguished,  and  every 
man  found  his  couch  as  best  he  might  in  the  dark. 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  207 

Our  next  halting-place  was  to  be  on  the  other  side 
of  the  grand  prairie.  We  "were  up  at  three  o'clock, 
and  not  a  bit  too  soon,  for  my  wife  was  hardly  out  of 
bed,  before  a  heavy  shower  poured  through  the  roof, 
upon  the  very  spot  where  we  had  lain. 

Our  hospitable  entertainers  furnished  an  ample 
breakfast  and  abundant  provision  for  our  lunch,  but 
refused  to  receive  a  picayune,  saying  they  would 
expect  their  house  to  be  struck  by  lightning  if  they 
took  pay  for  feeding  Methodist  preachers  and  their 
horses.  A  hard  day's  drive,  without  seeing  a  habita- 
tion, or  the  least  sign,  except  the  road,  to  tell  that 
man  had  ever  been  on  this  boundless  prairie,  brought 
us,  by  nightfall,  to  a  stopping-place  much  like  the 
last.  Next  morning,  about  ten  o'clock,  we  drew 
up  for  breakfast  before  a  house  which  I  had  been 
accustomed  to  visit  when  travelling  the  district  with 
the  presiding  elder.  The  old  people  were  from  home, 
but  a  rosy  cheeked,  bouncing  damsel,  calling  her 
brothers  to  her  aid,  soon  prepared  a  bountiful  repast. 
That  breakfast  lives  in  our  grateful  recollection  until 
this  day,  for  the  house  in  which  it  was  prepared,  the 
vessels  in  which  it  was  cooked,  the  table  on  which  it 
was  served,  and  the  bright-eyed,  cherry-lipped  damsel, 
were  all  clean,  and  cleanliness  at  that  day  was  some- 
thing for  a  traveller  in  the  West  to  take  note  of  and 
be  thankful  for. 

That  night,  after  a  year's  absence,  I  sat  by  my 


208  TEN   YEAKS   OF   PREACHEK-LIFE  J     OK, 

father's  fireside ;  it  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  been 
long  away  from  home.  Greetings  exchanged  with 
father,  mother  and  brother,  I  hurried  to  the  stable  to 
see  my  dear  old  Charlie.  lie  knew  my  voice,  rubbed 
his  nose  against  my  cheek  and  breast,  laid  his  head 
affectionately  over  my  shoulder,  and  I — can  you  won- 
der at  it? — threw  my  arms  around  his  neck  while 
the  tears  were  in  my  eyes. 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  2\)9 


CHAPTER    XYI. 


LIFE   ON   WHEELS. 


After  a  month's  sojourn  at   my  father's,  we  set 
forth  upon  our  travels,  for  I  had  been  reappointed 
agent  bj  the  Conference.     My  wife  established  her- 
self in  Baltimore,  her  old   home,  which,  of  course, 
became  the  centre  of  my  operations  for  the  year. 
She  rented  a  small  house,  and  procuring  some  furni- 
ture,   transformed    our    narrow    premises    into    the 
clearest  of  all  places  upon  earth — a  home.     We  sat 
beneath  our  own  vine  and  tig-tree,  but  whence  the 
means  to  water  the  one  and  prune  the  other  were 
coming,  was  only  known  to  Providence.     My  only 
income  was  the  agency,  which  meant  simply  ten  per 
cent,  of  all  the  funds  I  collected  for  my  western  col- 
leges.    I  declined  an  invitation  from  many  of  my  late 
parishioners,  to  become  their  chaplain  again,  in  order 
that  I  might  the  more  fully  test  my   capacity   as   a 
beggar.     Much  time  was  spent  from  home,  visiting 
the    principal    seaboard    cities :    trying    by   every 


210  TEN    TEAKS    OF    TREACUEK-LTFE  ;      OR, 

legitimate  method,  in  public  and  in  private,  to  bring 
the  object  of  my  mission  before  the  money-making 
and  money-giving  public.  One  incident  may  serve 
as  a  specimen  of  the  trials  an  agent  has  to  encoun- 
ter, Entering  the  store  of  a  great  merchant  in 
Philadelphia,  who  belonged  to  the  Society  of  Friends, 
and  who  was  said  to  do  a  large  western  trade,  which 
it  was  considered  gave  me  some  claim  upon  him,  I 
began  the  statement  of  my  case.  He  interrupted  me  by 
saying,  "  Does  thee  call  thyself  a  Methodist  minister?" 
I  replied  that  I  was  known  as  such.  "  Then  thee  is  an 
hireling."  I  intimated  that  they  that  preach  the  Gos- 
pel should  live  by  the  Gospel.  He  answered,  "  I  wish 
to  have  nothing  to  do  with  thee,  I  would  not  give  thee 
a  cent ;  thee  is  an  hireling ;  thy  children  can  get  no 
milk  of  the  word,  and  thy  old  men  no  strong  meat 
from  thee — there  is  my  door,  get  thee  out  of  it  at  once. 
I  cannot  abide  hirelings."  Conference  year,  which 
terminated  my  labors  as  agent,  closed  in  September 
1847. 

I  had  now  been  "  in  the  work  "  four  years,  and 
during  that  period  had  preached  1,500  times,  and 
travelled  60,000  miles.  The  preaching  had  been 
done  in  the  open  air,  and  in  houses  of  every  imagin- 
able description  :  from  barns,  log  cabins,  and  school- 
houses,  up  to  the  noblest  and  most  spacious  edifices 
in  the  land  ;  and  addressed  to  congregations  ranging 
from  two  or  three  persons  up  to  uncounted  thousands 


CIIAPTEES   FROM   AX   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  211 

The   travelling    had  been   accomplished   Ly  almost 

every  mode  of  conveyance  known  to  us,  except  the 
balloon  and  wheel-barrow.  Meanwhile  my  health, 
which  had  never  been  robust  since  its  failure  in 
college,  had  suffered,  and  my  physician  prescribed 
a  winter  in  the  South.  It  became  necessary  to  con- 
clude our  six-months'  experiment  at  housekeeping, 
and  my  wife  was  placed  in  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  that 
she  might  enjoy  the  society  and  care  of  some  old 
friends,  and  study  German,  so  as  to  assist  me  in  the 
pursuit  of  that  language  and  literature.  In  those 
days  we  were  obliged  to  cross  the  Alleghanies  by 
stages  from  Chambersburg  to  Pittsburg.  As  we 
were  arranging  in  the  former  place  to  take  our  seats 
fur  the  forty  hours'  ride,  it  appeared  that  eight  passen- 
gers had  been  allotted  to  our  stage.  An  old  colored 
woman  was  anxious  to  be  the  ninth,  but  objection 
had  been  raised.  She  declared,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  that  she  had  been  waiting  for  several  days  to 
get  a  seat,  that  although  she  had  her  ticket,  they 
had  been  unable  to  carry  her,  the  stages  having 
been  crowded  with  through  passengers;  that  now 
her  money  was  spent,  and  she  must  get  home 
to  her  daughter.  A  stout  Missourian,  who  was 
to  be  of  our  company,  swore  roundly  that  he 
"  wouldn't  ride  with  a  nigger,  and  that  she  shouldn't 
go."  Touched  by  the  old  woman's  condition,  I  .-aid 
to  him  quietly,  "  My  friend,  what  right  have  you  to 


212  TEN   YEARS   OF   PREA.CIIEK-LIFE  ;     OK, 

interfere.  Her  ticket  is  as  good  as  jours,  aud  she 
has  as  much  right  to  a  seat  as  you  have."  "No," 
he  said3  "  she  is  a  nigger,  and  I  am  white,  and  I'll 
whip  any  man  that  says  she  has  as  good  a  right  to  a 
seat  as  I  have,  or  insists  upon  taking  her  along." 
"  Then,"  said  I,  "  you  can  whip  me,  for  I  say  she 
shall  go."  The  idea  of  a  giant  whipping  a  pigmy, 
was  too  preposterous.  It  raised  a  laugh  against  him, 
and  he  submitted,  because  ridicule  was  more  potent 
than  reason.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  suppose,  if  it  must 
be  so,  it  must ;  but,  as  we  are  to  be  shut  up  in  the 
stage  with  her,  in  the  name  of  noses  let  us  strengthen 
our  stomachs  with  some  bald-faced  whisky.  I  de- 
clined his  amicable  and  aesthetic  proposal.  I  tried 
to  take  good  care  of  my  protegee,  giving  her 
money  to  provide  food  at  our  various  halts,  and  in 
every  way  sought  to  promote  her  comfort.  As  we 
went  rattling  down  the  streets  of  Pittsburg,  late  in 
the  second  nig] it,  I  threw  open  the  curtain  on  my 
side  of  the  coach,  and  sat  looking  out  into  the  night, 
through  which  the  street  lamps  struggled  with  their 
feeble  rays,  my  thoughts  divided  between  the  inde- 
finable curiosity  and  awe  one  always  experiences  in 
entering  a  strange  city,  late  at  night,  and  the  pros- 
pect of  a  good  bed  and  a  quiet  hotel,  when  I  was 
suddenly  roused  from  my  reverie  by  a  violent  blow 
on  my  side,  delivered  by  my  old  dame,  as  she 
screamed  in  anger,  "  Lean  up !  lean  up !  what  you 


CHARTERS    FROM    AX    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  213 

takifl'  all  de  winder  for  ?  Don't  yon  suppose  pussons 
ob  culler  hab  dcre  rites  as  well  as  }  on  good-for* 
nothing  whites  ?  I  wants  to  see  de  scenery  too."  1 
believe  it  was  the  verdict  of  my  fellow-passengers, 
•that  I  received  what  I  deserved. 

Pittsburgh,  whose  ever-driving  canopy  of  smoke 
reminds  one  of  Birmingham  or  Manchester,  stands 
almost  at  the  foot  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  at 
the  entrance  of  a  broad  plain,  unmatched  among 
the  valleys  of  the  earth,  embracing  its  millions  of 
square  miles,  almost  every  rood  of  which  is  fertile 
as  the  Delta  of  the  Nile.  This  city  used  to  be  the 
gate  of  the  "West,  and  over  it  was  inscribed  as  a 
grateful  tribute,  the  imperishable  name  of  that  noble 
Commoner  of  England,  by  whose  policy  the  vast 
region  of  the  Ohio  was  wrested  from  the  French 
during  the  old  seven  years'  war. 

The  blaze  of  countless  forges  and  the  din  of  the 
hammer  chorus,  which  almost  blinds  and  deafens  one 
in  Pittsburgh,  form  a  fit  introduction  to  the  battles 
and  conquests  by  which  coal  and  iron,  in  the  cun- 
ning hand  of  instructed  labor,  have  been  vanquish- 
ing idleness  and  sterility — triumphs  by  which  the 
desert  is  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose,  and  the  wilder- 
ness and  solitary  places  are  gladdened. 

One  can  hardly  stand  in  such  a  place,  and  think 
of  the  changes  which  a  century  has  wrought,  since 
the  rising   star  of  Anglo-American  civilization  was 


214  TEN   TEAKS   OF   PEEAOHER-LIEE ;     OS, 

clouded  by  Braddock's  inglorious  defeat,  withe ut  re- 
calling  the  language  of  the  Prophet : 

"  It  shall  blossom  abundantly,  and  rejoice  even  with  joy  and  sing- 
ing :  the  glory  of  Lebanon  shall  be  given  unto  it,  the  excellency  of 
Carmel  and  Sharon.  And  the  parched  ground  shall  become  a  pool, 
and  the  thirsty  land  springs  of  water :  in  the  habitation  of  dragons, 
where  each  lay,  shall  be  grass  with  reeds  and  rushes. 

"  And  an  highway  shall  be  there,  and  a  way  and  it  shall  be  called 
the  way  of  holiness;  the  unclean  shall  not  pass  over  it;  but  it  shall 
be  for  those  ;  the  wayfaring  men,  though  fools,  shall  not  err  there- 
in. 

"Xo  lion  shall  be  there,  nor  any  ravenous  beast  shall  go  up 
thereon,  it  shall  not  be  found  there  ;  but  the  redeemed  shall  walk 
there. 

"  And  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return,  and  come  to  Zion 
with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads  :  they  shall  obtain 
joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee  away." 

In  moving  upon  the  bosom  of  our  western  waters, 
in  the  canoe,  the  broad-horn,  or  the  steamer,  where 
human  genius,  organed  with  machinery,  invades  the 
solitude  of  nature,  there  is  a  spell  whose  charm  stirs 
me  to  ecstasy.  You  float  on  the  placid  bosom 
of  the  Ohio,  La  Belle  Riviere  of  the  early  voyageurs, 
whose  sources  are  in  the  ice-fed  springs  close  by  the 
eagle's  eyrie,  on  the  tops  of  the  Alleghanies ;  or  on 
the  equally  tranquil  Illinois,  skirted  by  its  boundless 
undulating  flower-clad  prairies;  or  are  driven 
among  the   eddies  by  the  wild  impetuous  current 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      215 

between  the  sliding  banks  of  the  Missouri.  You 
are  borne  by  the  majestic  flood  of  the  Mississippi 
from  the  wild  rice  lakes  of  the  frozen  North  to  where 
its  tawny  -waves  are  lost  in  the  blue  bosom  of  the 
summer  gulf,  emerging  from  regions  where  moss 
and  lichens  only  grow,  and  the  frost  king  holds  al- 
most perpetual  court,  to  gardens  of  orange  and  pome- 
granate, where  the  Magnolia  sheds  her  perfume, 
while  the  deep  silences  are  broken  only  by  the  pad- 
dle's dip,  the  crack  of  the  rifle,  the  scream  of  the 
steam  whistle,  and  the  buffet  of  the  engine's  fleshless 
arms,  beating  the  stream  to  foam.  Primeval  woods 
overshadow  the  skirts  of  savannas  undulating  out  of 
sight.  Wood-crowned  bluffs  stand  forth  where  the 
savage  lay  in  wait  for  the  emigrants'  flat  boat,  and 
their  verdure  crimsons  in  the  memory  of  many  a 
light  between  the  white  and  the  red  man.  Then  pic- 
tures of  this  land,  when  time  and  labor  shall  have 
wrought  those  changes  which  imagination  summons, 
combine  to  weave  a  spell  of  weird  enchantment, 
heightened  rather  than  diminished  by  your  conscious- 
of  danger  from  sawyers,  snags,  fire,  collisions 
and  explosions. 

Since  the  opening  of  commerce  by  the  settlement 
of  the  country,  the  navigation  of  these  wr.tcr-courses 
has  developed  a  type  of  character  peculiar  and  re- 
markable as  the  rivers  themselves.     Wneu  the  long 


216  TEN   TEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;      OR, 

and  deadly  "wrestle  between  the  aborigines  and  the 
invading  -whites  terminated  by  the  triumph  of  the 
latter,  many  a  scout  and  Indian  fighter  found  him- 
self "without  occujtation.  Like  the  Indian  and  nis 
buffalo,  a  life  of  wild  freedom  and  adventure  "was 
necessary  to  them  ;  they  could  not,  like  the  farmer  and 
his  patient  ox,  bend  their  necks  to  the  yoke  of  syste- 
matic, drudging  toil.  Some  repairing  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  became  hunters  for  the  fur  companies ; 
others  found  outlet  for  their  energies  in  a  new  voca- 
tion which  the  rising  trade  of  new  countries  devel- 
oped.  The  fabrics  of  civilization  could  be  introduced 
into  the  great  "West  only  by  trains  of  loaded  mules 
across  the  Alleghanies  or  by  keel-boats  ascending 
the  river  from  New  Orleans.  Now,  the  labor  of 
urging  a  freighted  barge  against  a  rapid  current  fif- 
teen hundred  or  two  thousand  miles,  exposed  to  all 
vicissitudes  of  weather,  subject  to  every  species  of 
privation  and  hardship,  required,  it  well  may  be 
supposed,  a  brood  of  giants.  In  describing  them,  I 
will  draw  from  the  graphic  pen  of  my  friend  Col. 
T.  B.  Thorpe,  to  whom  the  public  is  indebted  for 
many  of  the  most  truthful  and  lifelike  pictures  of 
western  habits,  character,  and  humor  ever  published  : 
"The  keel-boat  was  long  and  narrow,  sharp  at 
the  bow  and  stern,  and  of  light  draft.  From  fif- 
teen to  twenty 'hands '  were  required  to  propel  it. 
The  crew,  divided  equally  on  each  side,  took  their 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      217 

places  upon  the  "walking-boards  extending  along 
the  whole  length  of  the  craft,  and;  setting  one 
end  of  their  pole  in  the  bottom  of  the  river,  the 
other  was  brought  to  the  shoulder,  and  with  the 
body  bent  forward,  they  walked  the  boat  against  the 
formidable  current. 

"It  is  not  strange  that  the  keel-boatmen,  always 
exercising  in  the  open  air,  without  an  idea  of  the 
dependence  of  the  laborer  in  their  minds,  armed  con- 
stantly with  the  deadly  rifle,  and  feeling  assured  that 
their  strong  arms  and  sure  aim  would  anywhere 
gain  them  a  livelihood,  should  have  become  physi- 
cally the  most  powerful  of  men,  and  that  their  minds, 
often  naturally  of  the  highest  order,  should  have 
elaborated  ideas  singularly  characteristic  of  the 
extraordinary  scenes  and  associations  with  which 
they  were  surrounded.  Their  professional  pride  lay 
in  ascending  '  rapids ;'  this  effort  of  human  strength 
to  overcome  natural  obstacles  was  considered  by 
them  worthy  of  their  prowess.  The  slightest  error 
exposed  the  craft  to  be  thrown  across  the  current,  or 
to  be  brought  sidewise  in  contact  with  rocks  or  other 
obstructions,  which  would  inevitably  destroy  it.  The 
hero  vaunted  that  his  boat  never  swung  in  the  swift 
current,  and  never  backed  from  a  '  shute !' 

"Their   chief  amusements    were    'rough   frolics,' 

dancing,    fiddling   and  fist  fights.      The   incredible 

strength  of  their  pectoral   muscles,  growing  out  of 
10 


218  TEN   TEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;      OR, 

their  peculiar  labor  and  manner  of  life,  made  fights 
with  them  a  direful  necessity — it  was  an  appetite,  and, 
like  pressing  hunger,  had  to  be  appeased.  The  keel- 
boatman  who  boasted  that  he  had  never  been 
whipped,  stood  upon  a  dangerous  eminence,  for  every 
aspirant  for  fame  was  bound  to  dispute  his  claim  to 
such  distinction.  Occasionally,  at  some  temporary 
landing-place,  a  number  accidentally  came  together 
for  a  night.  From  the  extreme  labors  of  the  day, 
possibly  quietness  reigned  in  the  camp ;  when,  unex- 
pectedly, the  repose  would  be  disturbed  by  some 
restless  fellow  crowing  forth  a  defiance  in  the  manner 
of  a  game-cock ;  then,  springing  into  some  conspicu- 
ous place,  and  rolling  up  his  sleeves,  he  would  utter 
his  challenge  as  follows  : 

"  '  I'm  from  the  Lightning  Forks  of  Roaring  River. 
I'm  all  man,  save  what  is  wild  cat  and  extra  light- 
ning. I'm  as  hard  to  run  against  as  a  cypress  snag. 
I  never  back  water.  Look  at  me — a  small  specimen, 
harmless  as  an  angle  worm — a  remote  circumstance, 
a  mere  yearling.  Cock-a-doodle-doo.  I  did  hold  down 
a  buffalo  bull  and  tar  off  his  scalp  with  my  teeth  ; 
but  I  can't  do  it  now — I'm  too  powerful  weak,  1 
am? 

"  By  this  time  those  within  hearing  would  spring  to 
their  feet,  and  like  the  war-horse  that  smells  the  battle 
afar  off,  inflate  their  nostrils  with  expectation.  The 
challenger  goes  on : 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  219 

"I'm  the  man  that,  single  handed,  towed  the  broad 
horn  over  a  sand-bar?  the  identical  infant  who  girdled 
a  hickory  by  smiling  at  the  bark,  and  if  any  one 
denies  it,  let  him  make  his  will,  and  pay  the  expenses 
of  a  funeral.  I'm  the  genuine  article,  tough  as  bull's 
hide,  keen  as  a  rifle.  I  can  out-swim,  out-swar,  out- 
jump,  out-drink,  and  keep  soberer  than  any  man  at 
Catfish  Bend.  I'm  painfully  ferochus,  I'm  spiling 
for  some  one  to  whip  me — if  there's  a  erect er  in  this 
diggin'  that  wants  to  be  disappointed  in  trying  to  do 
it,  let  him  yell — whoop  hurra  !' 

"  Rifle  shooting  they  brought  to  perfection — their 
deadty  aim  told  terribly  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans. 
As  hunters,  the  weapon  had  been  their  companion, 
and  they  never  parted  with  it  in  their  new  vocation. 
While  working  at  the  oar  or  pole,  it  was  always 
within  reach,  and  if  a  deer  unexpectedly  appeared 
on  the  banks,  or  a  migratory  bear  breasted  the  waves, 
it  was  stricken  down  with  unerring  aim. 

"  By  an  imperative  law  among  themselves,  they 
were  idlers  on  shore,  where  their  chief  amusement 
was  shooting  at  a  mark,  or  playing  severe  practical 
jokes  upon  each  other.  They  would  with  the  rifle 
ball,  and  at  long  distances,  cut  the  pipe  out  of  the 
hat-band  of  a  fellow  boatman,  or  unexpectedly  upset 
a  cup  of  whisky  that  might,  at  '  lunch-time '  be  for 
the  moment  resting  on  some  one's  knee.  A  negro, 
exciting  the  ire  of  one  of  these  men,  he  at  the  dis 


220  TEN    YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  J      OR, 

tanco  of  a  hundred  yards,  with  a  rifle-ball,  cut  the 
offender's  heel,  and  did  this  without  a  thought  that 
the  object  of  his  indignation  could  be  more  seriously 
damaged  by  an  unsteady  aim. 

"  Taking  off  a  wild  turkey's  head  with  a  rifle-ball 
at  a  hundred  yards'  distance  while  the  bird  was  in 
full  flight,  was  not  looked  upon  as  an  extraordinary 
feat.  At  nightfall  they  would  snuff  candles  at  fifty 
paces,  and  do  it  without  extinguishing  the  light. 
Many  of  these  extraordinary  men  became  so  expert 
and  cool,  that  in  the  heat  of  battle  they  would 
announce  the  place  on  their  enemy  they  intended  to 
hit,  and  subsequent  examination  would  prove  the 
certainty  of  their  aim.  Driving  the  nail,  however, 
was  their  favorite  amusement.  This  consisted  in 
sinking  a  nail,  two-thirds  of  its  length,  in  the  centre 
of  a  target,  and  then  at  forty  paces,  with  a  rifle  ball, 
driving  it  home  to  the  head.  If  they  quarrelled 
among  themselves,  and  then  made  friends,  the  test 
that  they  bore  no  malice,  was  to  shoot  a  small  object 
from  each  other's  heads.  Mike  Fink,  the  best  shot 
of  all  keelboatmen,  lost  his  life  in  one  of  these 
strange  trials  of  friendship.  He  had  had  a  difficulty 
with  one  of  his  companions,  made  friends  and  agreed 
to  the  usual  ceremony  to  show  that  he  bore  no  ill- 
will.  The  man  put  an  apple  upon  his  head,  placed 
himself  at  the  proper  distance — Mike  fired,  and  hit, 
apparently  not  the  inanimate  object,  but  the  man,  who 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  221 

fell  to  the  ground  apparently  dead.  Standing  1  >y  was  a 
brother  of  this  victim  either  of  treachery  or  hazard, 
and  in  an  instant  of  anger,  he  shot  Mike  through  the 
heart.  In  a  few  moments  the  supposed  dead  man, 
without  a  wound,  recovered  his  feet.  Mike  had  evi- 
dently, from  mere  wantonness,  displaced  the  apple, 
by  shooting  between  it  and  the  skull,  in  the  same 
way,  that  he  would  have  barked  a  squirrel  from  the 
limb  of  a  tree.  The  joke,  unfortunately,  cost  the  re- 
nowned Mike  his  life."  False  indeed,  would  be  the 
supposition  that  these  men,  lawless  as  they  were,  pos- 
sessed a  single  trait  of  character  in  common  with  the 
law-defying  wretches  of  our  crowded  cities.  They 
committed,  it  is  true,  great  excesses  in  villages  where 
their  voyages  terminated,  and  when  large  numbers 
of  them  were  assembled  together.  If  they  defied 
the  law  it  was  not  because  it  was  irksome,  but 
because  they  never  felt  its  restraints.  They  had  their 
own  laws  which  they  implicitly  obeyed.  With  them 
fair  play  was  a  jewel.  If  the  crew  of  a  rival  boat 
was  to  be  attacked,  only  an  equal  number  was 
detached  for  the  service  ;  if  the  intruders  were  wor- 
sted, no  one  interfered  for  their  relief.  Whatever 
was  placed  in  their  care  for  transportation  was 
sacred,  and  would  be  defended  from  harm,  if  neces- 
sary, at  the  sacrifice  of  their  life.  They  would,  from 
mere  recklessness,  pilfer  the  out-buildings  of  a  farm- 
house, yet  they  could  be  intrusted  with  uncounted 


222  TEN   YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

sums  of  money,  and  if  anything  in  their  possession 
became  damaged  or  lost,  they  made  restitution  to  the 
last  farthing.  In  difficulties  between  others,  they 
invariably  espoused  the  cause  of  the  weaker  party 
and  took  up  the  quarrels  of  the  aged,  whether  in  the 
riirht  or  wrontr. 

"  As  an  illustration  of  their  rude  code  of  honor,  is 
remembered  the  story  of  'Bill  M'Coy.'  He  was  a 
master-spirit,  and  had  successfully  disputed  for  cham- 
pionship upon  almost  every  famous  sand-bar  visible 
at  low  water.  In  a  terrible  row,  where  blood  had 
been  spilled,  and  a  dark  crime  committed,  Bill  was 
involved.  Momentarily  off  his  guard,  he  fell  into 
the  clutches  of  the  law.  The  community  was  ex- 
cited— a  victim  wTas  demanded  to  appease  the  oft- 
insulted  majesty  of  justice.  Brought  before  one  of 
the  courts  '  holding'  at  Natchez,  then  just  closing  its 
cession  for  the  summer  vacation,  he  was  fully  com- 
mitted, and  nothing  but  the  procurement  of  enor- 
mous bail  would  keep  him  from  sweltering  through 
the  long  months  of  summer  in  durance  vile.  It  was 
apparently  useless  for  him  to  expect  any  one  to  go 
bail  for  him ;  he  appealed,  however,  to  those  pre- 
sent, dwelt  upon  the  horrors,  to  him  more  especially, 
of  a  long  imprisonment,  and  solemnly  asseverated 
that  he  would  present  himself  at  the  time  appointed 
for  trial. 

"  At  the  last,  Col.  TV". ,  a  wealthy,  and  on  the 


CHAPTERS  FEOM  AN"  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      223 

whole  rather  a  cautious  citizen,  came  to  the  rescue  and 
agreed  to  pay  ten  thousand  dollars  if  M'Coy  did  not 
present  himself  to  stand  his  trial.  It  was  in  vain  that 
the  colonel's  friends  tried  to  persuade  him  not  to  take 
the  responsibility;  even  the  court's  suggestion  to  let 
the  matter  alone  was  unheeded.  M'Coy  was  re- 
leased— shouldering  his  rifle,  and  threading  his  way 
through  the  Indian  nation,  in  due  time  he  reached 
his  home  in  f  Old.  Kaintuck.' 

"  Months  rolled  on,  and  the  time  of  trial  approach- 
ed. As  a  matter  of  course,  the  probabilities  of  M'Coy 's 
return  were  discussed.  The  public  had  doubts.  The 
colonel  had  not  heard  from  him  since  his  departure. 
The  morning  of  the  appointed  day  arrived,  but  the 
prisoner  did  not  present  himself.  The  attending 
crowd  and  the  people  of  the  town  became  excited — 
all  except  the  colonel  despaired — evening  was  coming 
on  apace — the  court  was  on  the  point  of  adjourning, 
when  a  distant  huzza  was  heard ;  it  was  borne  on  the 
wings  of  the  wind,  and  echoed  along,  each  moment 
growing  louder  and  louder.  Finally,  the  exulting 
cry  was  caught  up  by  the  hangers-on  about  the  seat 
of  justice.  Another  moment,  and  M'Coy — his  beard 
long  and  matted,  his  hands  torn  to  pieces,  his  eyes 
haggard  and  face  sun-burnt  to  a  degree  that  was 
painful  to  behold — rushed  into  the  court-room,  and 
from  sheer  exhaustion  fell  prostrate  upon  the  floor. 

"  Old  Col.  W.  embraced  him  as  he  would  have  done 


224  TEN   YEAK8   OK   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

a  long-lost  brother,  and  eyes  unused  to  tears  filled  to 
overflowing  when  M'Coy  related  his  simple  tale. 
Starting  from  Louisville  as  a  'hand  on  a  boat,'  he 
found  in  a  few  days  that,  owing  to  the  low  stage  of 
water  in  the  river  and  the  other  unexpected  delays, 
it  was  impossible  for  him  to  reach  Natchez  at  the 
appointed  time  by  such  a  mode  of  conveyance.  No 
other  ordinary  conveyance,  in  those  early  days,  pre- 
sented itself.  Not  to  be  thwarted,  he  abandoned  the 
flat,  and,  with  his  own  hands,  shaped  a  canoe  out  of 
the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree.  He  had  rowed  and  pad- 
dled, almost  without  cessation,  thirteen  hundred 
miles,  and  had  thus  redeemed  his  promise  almost  at 
the  expense  of  life.  His  trial  in  its  progress  became 
a  mere  form ;  his  chivalrous  conduct  and  the  want 
of  any  positive  testimony  won  for  him  a  verdict  of 
not  guilty,  even  before  it  was  announced  by  the  jury 
or  affirmed  by  the  judge. 

"  A  few  years  ago,  the  Mississippi,  from  an  unusual 
drought,  shrunk  within  its  banks  to  a  comparatively 
small  stream,  and,  as  a  consequence,  under  the  pro- 
tection of  a  high  bank,  nearly  opposite  the  town  of 
Baton  Rouge,  there  was  exposed  the  wreck  of  a 
small  boat,  the  timbers  of  which,  as  far  as  could  be 
ascertained,  were  in  a  good  state  of  preservation. 
Few  particularly  noticed  the  object,  because  such 
evidences  of  destruction  form  one  of  the  most  fami- 
liar features  of  the  passing  scenery  ;  yet,  there  was 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  225 

reall y  an  interest  connected  With  those  "blackened  but 
still  enduring  ribs,  for  they  were  the  remains  of  the 
first  steamer  that  ever  dashed  its  wheels  into  the 
waters  of  the  Great  West,  and  awakened  new  echoes 
alonj?  the  then  silent  shores  of  the  '  Father  of 
Waters.'  This  boat  was  built  at  Pittsburg  by  Messrs. 
Fulton  and  Livingston.  It  was  launched  in  the 
month  of  March,  1812,  and  landed  at  Natchez  the 
following  year,  where  she  loaded  with  passengers, 
and  proceeded  to  New  Orleans.  After  running  some 
time  in  this  newly-established  trade  and  meeting 
with  a  variety  of  misfortunes,  she  finally  snagged 
and  sunk  into  the  half-exposed  grave  we  have  desig- 
nated." 

"When  steam  had  been  successfully  applied  to  the 
vast  inland  navigation  of  the  West,  it  was  feared  that 
the  keel-boatman's  occupation  was  gone,  but  no 
sooner  had  fire  and  water  taken  the  laboring  oar, 
than  these  men  appeared  as  the  natural  officers  of 
the  new  marine.  It  is  not  then  surprising  that 
moving  accidents  by  flood  were  of  such  common  oc- 
currence, or  that  the  recklessness  of  these  captains 
and  pilots  have  hurled  thousands  of  passengers  into 
eternity  without  a  moment's  warning. 

In  the  good  old  times,  the  trip  from  New  Orleans 

to  Pittsburg  needed  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  days, 

now  it  is  accomplished  in  ten  or  twelve. 

Voyaging  upon  these  waters,  and  all  the  circum- 
10*      - 


226  TEN   YEARS    OF   PKEACnER-LIFE  ;     OE, 

stances  of  Western  life,  impart  to  the  people  a  tono 
of  exaggeration  either  repulsive  or  ludicrous  to  the 
more  quiet  and  methodical  residents  of  the  east- 
ern States.  The  following  "  splurge  "  may  be  taken 
as  a  specimen  of  an  educated  western  man's  "  norat- 
ing "  in  the  social  hall  of  a  western  steamboat. 
"  Gentlemen,  what  is  poetry,  but  the  truth  exagge- 
rated ?  Here,  it  can  never  arrive  at  any  perfection. 
What  chance  is  there  for  exaggeration  in  the  Great 
West,  where  the  reality  is  incomprehensible?  A 
territory  as  large  as  classic  Greece  annually  caves 
into  the  Mississippi,  and  who  notices  it  ?  Things,  to 
be  poetical,  must  be  got  up  on  a  small  scale.  The 
Tiber,  the  Seine,  the  Thames,  appear  well  in  poetry, 
but  such  streams  are  overlooked  in  the  West,  they 
don't  afford  water  enough  to  keep  up  an  expansive 
duck-pond — would  be  mere  drains  to  a  squatter's 
preemption.  I  have  heard  of  frontiersmen  who  were 
poets,  because  their  minds  expanded  beyond  the 
surrounding  physical  grandeur.  Books  are  not  yet 
large  enough  to  contain  their  ideas — steam  is  not 
strong  enough  to  impress  them  on  the  historic  page. 
These  men  have  no  definite  sense  of  limitation,  know 
of  no  locality — they  sleep  not  on  a  couch,  but  upon 
the  'government  lands' — they  live  upon  the  spon- 
taneous productions  of  the  earth,  and  make  a  drink- 
ing-cup  of  the  mighty  Mississippi.  Settlements  within 
fifty  miles  of  them  ritiate  the  air  :  life  for  them  means 


CHAPTERS   FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  227 

spontaneity  and  untramelled  liberty  of  personal  move- 
ment in  space  and  time.  Their  harmony  with  the 
Nature  that  engendered  them,  annihilates  the  most 
formidable  local  barriers.  The  first  pennon  of  blue 
smoke  that  daily  arises  from  the  chimney  of  a  new 
settlement  admonishes  them  to  penetrate  more  deeply 
into  the  forest.  They  have  an  instinctive  dread  of 
crowds — with  them,  civilization  means  law  and 
calomel." 

Greater  varieties  of  human  character  can  nowhere 
be  met  than  in  a  week's  trip  on  the  Mississippi,  and 
the  student  of  human  nature  who  enjoys  intercourse 
with  all  sorts  of  people,  can  here  observe  the  most 
curiously  original  types  of  mankind.  The  luggage 
stowed  on  the  boiler  deck,  affords  a  significant  clue  to 
the  pursuits  of  your  fellow  passengers :  a  large  box 
of  playing  cards  supports  a  package  of  Bibles,  a  bowie 
knife  is  tied  to  a  life-preserver,  and  a  package  of  gar- 
den seeds  rejoices  in  the  same  address  with  a  neigh- 
boring keg  of  powder.  There  is  an  old  black  trunk, 
soiled  with  the  mud  of  the  Lower  Nile,  and  a  new 
carpet  bag  direct  from  Upper  California  ;  a  collapsed 
valise  of  new  shirts  and  antique  sermons  is  jostled  by 
another,  plethoric  with  anti-bilious  pills  and  cholera 
medicines ;  an  elaborate  dress,  direct  from  Paris, 
brushes  a  trapper's  Rocky  Mountain  costume ;  a  gun- 
case  rests  upon  a  bandbox,  and  a  well  preserved  riflo 
is  half  enveloped  by  the  folds  of  an  umbrella.     The 


228  TEN   YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LITE  ;     OR, 

volume  of  a  strange,  eventful,  and  ever  changing  life 
is  before  you,  on  the  pages  of  which  are  impressed 
phases  of  original  character  such  as  no  other  country 
produces,  no  other  sphere  assembles. 

The  crowd  of  passengers  presents  a  mosaic  of  our 
cosmopolite  population.  On  the  deck  are  to  be 
seen  emigrants  from  every  European  nation ;  in 
the  cabin  are  strangely  mingled  all  the  aspects 
of  social  life — the  aristocratic  English  lord  is  in- 
truded upon  by  the  ultra  socialist;  the  conservative 
bishop  accepts  a  favor  from  the  graceless  gambler ; 
the  wealthy  planter  is  heartily  amused  at  the  simpli- 
cities of  a  "  northern  fanatic  ;"  the  farmer  from  about 
the  arctic  regions  of  Lake  Superior,  exchanges  ideas 
and  discovers  consanguinity  with  a  heretofore  un- 
known person  from  the  everglades  of  Florida ;  the 
frank,  open  hearted  men  of  the  West  are  charmed 
with  the  business  thrift  of  a  party  from  "  down  East ;" 
politicians  of  every  stripe  and  religionists  of  all 
creeds,  for  the  time,  drop  their  wranglings  in  the 
admiration  of  lovely  woman,  or  find  a  neutral  ground 
of  sympathy  in  the  attractions  of  a  gorgeous  sunset. 
The  following  may  be  taken  as  a  specimen  of  the 
droll  encounters  which  often  occur  on  board,  afford- 
ing infinite  mirth  to  the  bystanders.  A  sorry-looking 
owner  of  the  human  face  divine,  whose  fortunate 
position  as  agent  of  the  Rothschilds  in  New  Orleans, 
made  amends  in  the  eyes  of  Mammon  worshippers  for 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  229 

his  almost  deformed  appearance,  took  Iris  seat  with 
ostentatious  complacency  at  the  break  fast-table,  the 
morning  after  the  boat  had  started.  The  captain,  in- 
formed of  the  high-standing  and  long  purse  of  Iris 
distinguished  passenger,  had  instructed  one  of  the 
colored  waiters  to  show  him  every  mark  of  attention. 
The  negro  asked,  in  the  most  courteous  tone,  what  he 
would  have  for  breakfast.  "  Some  venishun,"  replied 
the  man  of  money,  but  in  an  accent  not  intelligible 
to  the  thick  ears  of  Cuffie,  who,  supposing  that  a 
nice  piece  of  broiled  ham  was  the  daintiest  morsel, 
and  not  aware  of  the  Mosaic  prohibition  of  hog 
meat,  presently  reappeared  with  a  slice  of  bacon, 
whose  tempting  odor  might  have  seduced  a  Moham- 
medan. As  it  was  placed  on  the  table  with  a  flou- 
rish, the  nose  of  the  Israelite  appreciated  the  nature 
of  the  article,  and  with  offended  dignity,  he  said, 
"Datishham!  Take  it  away.  I  want  venishun." 
There  sat  opposite  an  old  Kentuckian,  who  embar- 
rassed in  his  pecuniary  affairs,  had  been  making  an 
unsuccessful  attempt  to  negotiate  a  loan,  and  who 
found  a  solace  to  his  irritated  feelings  in  the  uncom- 
fortable plight  of  the  millionaire.  For  him,  there 
was  no  delicacy  comparable  with  broiled  ham,  and 
sharing  the  vulgar  prejudices  against  the  Jews,  he 
exclaimed  with  indignant  scorn,  as  the  servant  re- 
moved the  dish,  pointing  his  knife  at  his  neighbor, 
*  No,  sir,  you  darsn't  eat  ham.  Your  people  crucified 


230  TEN   TEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  J      OR, 

tlie  Saviour,  and  God  has  cussed  you  by  not  allowing 
you  to  touch  pork.  Heavens !"  he  continued,  with 
awful  solemnity,  turning  to  a  friend,  "  can  you  think 
of  anything  more  dreadful  than  not  being  allowed 
to  eat  bacon  ?  And  yet,  I  reckon,  the  sins  of  the  Jews 
makes  it  only  just." 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  231 


CHAPTER  XVIL 

THE  THUNDERER  OF  THE  BAR  AND  THE  STUMP. 

Leaving  winter  on  the  Ohio,  I  fonnd  in  ISTew 
Orleans,  flowers  and  the  bland  atmosphere  of  summer. 
Seated  in  the  pilothouse,  with  the  steersman  for  my 
interpreter,  I  had  been  overjoyed  by  my  vision  of 
the  novel  and  picturesque  scenery  on  the  river  banks. 
It  may  seem  paradoxical  to  my  readers  that  one  so 
nearly  blind  as  I,  should  have  a  keen  relish  for  the 
varieties  and  beauties  of  landscape,  and  yet  I  fancy 
that  few  persons  enjoy  them  more.  It  must  be  recol- 
lected, that  up  to  the  age  of  five  years  I  had  perfect 
sight  and  had  been  accustomed  throughout  child- 
hood to  spend  the  summers  in  the  country,  sur- 
rounded by  every  form  of  glorious  scenery.  Memory 
Las  vividly  preserved  the  outlines  and  colors  of 
nature,  and  if  I  am  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  kind 
hearted  companion  at  hand  to  sketch  the  view  even 
roughly,  imagination,  with  the  ample  material  which 
remembrance  furnishes,  fills  out  the  picture. 
Whether  the  objective  reality,  or  the  subjective 
impression,  predominate  in  my  portfolio,  whether  by 


232  TEN   TEAKS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

virtue  of  necessity,  fancy  colors  my  canvas  after  the 
school  of  Millais  or  of  Raphael,  I  suppose  matters  little, 
so  only  that  the  outer  world  becomes  to  me  a  pre- 
sence of  blessing  and  of  power. 

All  the  conditions  of  a  first  trip  on  the  Lower  Mis- 
sissippi combine  to  render  it  a  memorable  journey. 
Your  monster  boat  quivers  in  every  part  with 
each  stroke  of  her  engine,  and  the  sensitiveness  of 
your  nerves  is  increased  by  the  hoarse  voices  of  the 
"  scape  pipes  "  as  they  perform  their  horrible  anti- 
phony  throughout  the  voyage.  The  din  of  machinery, 
however,  is  softened  by  the  chorus  of  the  negro  fire- 
men, as  they  ply  their  scorching  labors  before  fur- 
naces that  might  have  answered  as  forges  for  Vulcan. 
If  you  succeed  in  winning  the  favor  of  captain 
and  pilots,  and  thus  gain  a  seat  by  the  wheel  when 
you  please ;  you  can  hear  stories  of  fire  and  flood,  of 
races,  collisions,  snaggings  and  explosions,  enough  to 
haunt  your  dreams  for  months.  Almost  every  snag 
and  sawyer  has  its  own  catastrophe ;  each  sand 
bar  and  bend  of  the  river  has  witnessed  some 
frightful  accident  in  which  scores,  perhaps  hun- 
dreds, of  human  lives  changed  worlds.  Your  nar- 
rator details  these  casualties  with  all  the  relish 
with  which  a  soldier  speaks  of  battles,  or  a  surgeon 
of  operations.  The  monotonous  scenery  on  either 
side  the  river  does  not  help  to  enliven  you,  the  banks 
are  leveed  at  infinite  cost,  and  stand  eight  or  ten  feet 


CHAPTERS  FROM!  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      233 

above  the  surface  of  the  country,  to  save  the  planta- 
tions from  annual  inundation.  For  several  hundred 
miles  above  New  Orleans,  swamps  that  run  parallel 
to  the  Mississippi  on  both  sides,  approach  -within  a 
mile  and  often  nearer.  Groves  of  cotton  wood  and  of 
cypress,  wreathed  with  the  Spanish  moss  which  floats 
in  pendulous  silvery  veils  along  the  green  walls  and 
is  significantly  styled  the  curtain  of  death,  fringe  the 
interminable  morass.  The  scene  however  brightens 
at  times  as  you  near  a  town,  which  may  have  the 
good  luck  to  be  perched  upon  a  bluff  or  "  round  to,"  or 
at  some  well  ordered  plantation,  whose  noble  mansion, 
with  its  lawn  and  gardens,  is  flanked  by  rows  of 
white-washed  cottages  called  the  "people's  quarters." 
Before  long,  you  become  accustomed  to  your  new 
life  with  its  attendant  sights  and  sounds  and  enter 
into  its  excitement  with  zest;  the  boding  thought 
of  danger  is  forgotten,  and  after  a  night  or  two,  you 
will  sleep  as  soundly  as  if  at  home,  over  the 
roaring  furnace  and  seething  boilers,  lulled  to 
deeper  slumbers  by  the  lately  frightful  blasts  of 
the  steampipes.  If  another  boat  heave  in  sight, 
you  find  yourself  becoming  anxious  that  she  shall 
not  pass  you.  If  she  gain  upon  your  craft,  all  your 
fears  about  the  dangers  of  racing  are  laid  aside 
and  with  your  fellow  passengers,  male  and  female, 
you  are  urging  the  captain  to  do  his  best.  Of  course 
he   answers  that  he  never  races  ! — I  never  knew  a 


234  TEN   YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  J     OR, 

Mississippi  captain  that  did.  He  just  wanted  a  little 
fan,  "  to  see  how  the  old  thing  would  go  with  a  full 
head  on."  You  run  first  to  the  deck  to  incite  the 
firemen,  and  then  to  the  hurricane  deck  to  note  the 
speed.  The  interest  deepens,  the  first  shot  is  fired, 
the  battle  has  opened,  and  men  and  even  women  are 
no  longer  cowards.  Every  sense  is  strained,  and  yet 
the  mind  and  nerves  are  wonderfully  calm.  Side 
by  side  the  boats  go  thundering  along,  and  so  com- 
pletely has  the  thought  of  victory  taken  possession 
of  you,  that  you  would  almost  as  soon  be  blown 
up  as  beaten. 

The  standard  daily  recreation  of  steamboat  life  is 
"  wooding."  As  the  boat  nears  the  wood-yard,  the 
captain  shouts,  "  What  kind  of  wood  is  that  ?"  The 
reply  comes  back,  "  Cord-wood."  The  captain,  still 
in  pursuit  of  information  under  difficulties,  and  desir- 
ous of  learning  if  the  fuel  be  dry  and  fit  for  his  pur- 
pose, bawls  out,  "How  long  has  it  been  cut?" 
"  Four  feet,"  is  the  promjDt  response.  The  captain, 
exceedingly  vexed,  next  inquires,  "  What  do  you 
sell  for  ?"  "  Cash,"  returns  the  chopper,  replacing 
the  corn-cob  pipe  in  his  mouth,  and  smiling 
benignly  "  on  the  pile." 

Wood  yards  are  apparently  infested  with  mosqui- 
toes— I  say  apparently  infested — such  is  the  impres- 
sion of  all  accidental  sojourners;  but,  it  is  a  strange 
delusion,  for  though  one  may  think  that  they  fill  the 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AX  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      235 

air,  inflame  the  face  and  hands,  and  if  of  the  Arkan- 
sas species,  penetrate  the  flesh  through  the  thickest 
boots ;  still  upon  inquiring  of  any  permanent  resi- 
dent, if  mosquitoes  are  numerous,  the  invariable 
answer  is,  "  Mosquitoes — no  !  not  about  here  ;  but  a 
little  way  down  the  river  they  are  awful — thar  they 
torment  alligators  to  death,  and  sting  mules  right 
through  their  hoofs." 

On  a  first-class  steamer,  there  may  be  sixty  hands 
engaged  in  the  exciting  physical  contest  of  wooding. 
The  passengers  extend  themselves  along  the  guards 
as  spectators,  and  present  a  brilliant  array.  The  per- 
formance consists  in  piling  on  the  boat  one  hundred 
cords  of  wood  in  the  shortest  possible  time.  The 
steam-boilers  seem  to  sympathize  at  the  sight  of  the 
fuel,  and  occasionally  breathe  forth  immense  sighs 
of  admiration — the  pilot  increases  the  noise  by 
unearthly  screams  on  the  "  alarm  whistle."  The 
mate  of  the  boat,  for  want  of  something  better  to  do, 
divides  his  time  between  exhortations  of  "  Oh,  bring 
them  shavings  along  !"  "  Don't  go  to  sleep  at  this 
frolic,"  and  by  swearing,  of  such  monstrous  propor- 
tions, that  even  good  men  are  puzzled  to  decide 
whether  he  is  really  profane  or  simply  ridiculous. 
The  laborers  pursue  their  calling  with  the  precision 
of  clockwork.  Upon  the  shoulders  of  each  are  piled 
up  innumerable  sticks  of  wood,  which  are  thus  car- 
ried from  the  land  into  the  capacious  bowels  of  the 


236  TEN   YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

steamer.  The  "last  loads,"  are  shouldered — the  last 
effort  to  carry  "the  largest  pile  "is  indulged  in. 
"Zephyr  Sam,"  amidst  the  united  cheers  of  the 
admiring  spectators,  propels  his  load,  and  for  the 
thousandth  time,  wins  the  palm  of  being  a  "model 
darkie,"  "  the  prince  of  deck  hands." 

At  length  you  gain  the  "  Coast,"  as  the  country 
on  both  sides  the  river  for  one  or  two  hundred  miles 
above  New  Orleans  is  called,  and  you  exchange  the 
region  of  cotton,  for  the  sugar  country.  Nothing  can 
be  fairer  than  these  green  fields  in  which  the  genius 
of  the  summer  seems  to  have  taken  up  his  abode, 
and  the  palatial  residences,  with  their  out-buildings 
and  neat  negro  villages,  are  worthy  of  their  surround- 
ings. The  delicate  hue  of  the  orange-blossom 
contrasts  with  the  stately  pride  of  the  magnolia,  and 
the  corn-fields  are  relieved  by  gardens  of  roses. 
But  sweeping  round  the  sharp  horn  of  a  crescent,  the 
centre  of  southwestern  trade  is  soon  at  your  feet, 
literally  at  your  feet ;  for  as  from  the  deck  of  the 
steamer,  you  look  down  upon  its  streets,  the  broad 
river  flows  at  a  level  so  high  as  to  be  above  the  head 
of  any  man  walking  them,  and  the  floods  are  only 
kept  in  check  by  a  broad,  strong  levee  that  fronts  the 
town. 

The  St.  Charles  Hotel  was  the  wonder  and  centre 
of  the  town.  All  strangers  stopped  at  it  and  all 
citizens  frequented  it.     On  its  ground  floor  was  its 


CHAPTERS  FROM   AX   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  237 

bai-rooin,  and  at  ten  o'clock  at  night  you  beheld  it 
in  its  glory.  At  least  a  thousand  men,  speaking  all 
languages,  habited  in  all  costumes,  representing  all 
nationalities,  were  engaged  in  laughing,  talking, 
betting,  quarrelling,  chewing,  smoking  and  drinking. 
A  sketch  of  two  of  the  habitues  of  this  place, 
will  represent  the  poles  of  this  strange  world  of  life. 
The  first  was  a  man  with  an  idiosyncrasy.  He 
followed  wood-cutting  as  a  profession  and  wrought 
with  exemplary  zeal  the  six  working  days,  hoard- 
ing every  cent  not  required  to  furnish  him  the  most 
frugal  fare.  As  his  "  pile  "  increased,  he  invested  it  in 
gold  ornaments :  watch-chain  of  massive  links,  shirt 
and  sleeve  buttons,  shoe  buckles,  then  buttons  for  vest 
and  coat,  a  hat-bantl  of  the  precious  metal,  a  heavy 
gold-headed  cane,  and  in  short,  wherever  an  ounce 
of  it  could  be  bestowed  upon  his  person,  in  or  out  of 
taste,  it  was  done.  The  glory  of  his  life,  his  one 
ambition,  was  to  don  this  curious  attire — which  was 
deposited  for  safe-keeping  during  the  week  in  one  of 
the  banks — on  Sunday  morning,  and  then  spend  the 
day,  "  the  observed  of  all  observers,"  lounging  about 
the  office,  or  the  bar-room  of  the  St.  Charles,  He 
never  drank  and  rarely  spoke.  Mystery  seemed  to 
envelop  him.  ~No  one  knew  whence  he  came,  or  the 
origin  of  his  innocent  whim.  Old  citizens  assured 
you,  that  year  after  year,  his  narrow  savings  were 
measured  by  the  increase  of  his  ornaments,  until  at 


238  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACOER-LIFE ;     OR, 

length,  the  value  of  the  anomalous  garments  came  to 
be  estimated  by  thousands  of  dollars.  By  ten  o'clock, 
Sunday  night,  the  exhibition  was  closed,  his  one  day 
of  self-gratification  enjoyed,  his  costly  wardrobe  was 
returned  to  the  bank-vault,  and  he  sank  back  into 
the  obscurity  of  a  wood-chopper. 

The  other,  as  different  from  the  fore-mentioned  as 
genius  from  stupidity,  was  Seargent  S.  Prentiss,  the 
renowned  lawyer  and  orator.  He  was  a  compound  of 
contradictions.  With  a  noble  bust  and  superb  head, 
he  was  yet  short  of  stature,  and  was  deformed  by  a 
shrivelled  leg.  The  master  of  nearly  all  manly  accom- 
plishments, a  fearless  rider  and  bold  hunter,  he  yet 
halted  painfully  in  his  gait ;  with  exuberant  animal 
spirits  and  matchless  powers  of  conversation,  (which 
made  him  the  delight  and  soul  of  every  social  circle) 
he  would  sometimes,  in  solitude,  locking  himself  in 
for  whole  days,  shed  scalding  tears,  goaded  almost  to 
madness  by  morbid  self-torture.  Gifted  with  every 
power  to  win  the  admiration,  confidence  and  love; 
of  women,  he  shrank  from  their  society,  dreading 
lest  his  one  drawback  should  excite  unsympathetic 
remark,  and  this,  when  his  genius  had  already 
dazzled  the  first  minds  of  the  country.  Born 
and  bred  a  Puritan,  he  was  the  representative 
man  of  southwestern  life.  Pacific  in  disposition, 
and  remarkable  for  sweetness  of  temper,  he  was 
famous  as  a  duellist.     With  virtues  of  character  that 


CHAPTERS   FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  230 

won  for  hini  the  lasting  regard  of  all  good  men  that 
ever  knew  him,  it  is  nevertheless  computed  that  he 
lost  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  by  gambling ; 
possessed  of  a  fancy  as  gentle  and  sportive  as  Her- 
bert's or  Cowpcr's,  I  suppose  that  the  eloquence  of 
invective  has  produced  nothing  since  the  days  of 
Demosthenes,  equal  to  his  thunders  against  Missis- 
sippi repudiation.  The  most  effective  man  on  the 
stump  in  the  country,  he  at  the  same  time  shone  con- 
spicuously in  its  highest  courts.  Cogent  in  argu- 
ment, copious  in  imagination,  he  jdeased  while 
he  persuaded,  convinced  while  he  charmed.  With 
a  memory  whose  wax-like  retentiveness  held  not 
only  the  thoughts  and  images,  but  even  words,  of 
ancient  and  modern  poetry,  there  was  coupled  a  wit 
as  fertile  as  it  was  brilliant  and  an  understanding 
robust  as  it  was  comprehensive  and  original.  The 
Bible,  Shakspeare,  and  Milton  were  his  hand-books 
and  it  is  said  that  he  knew  them  from  lid  to  lid.  His 
pathos  was  as  extraordinary  as  his  scorn.  At  first 
you  might  have  fancied  him  a  mere  rhetorician,  but 
he  had  not  proceeded  far  before  you  found  him  a 
consummate  orator.  He  was  master  of  all  the 
passions  of  the  human  soul,  and  moved  them  as  the 
expert  musician  draws  from  his  instrument  a  concord 
of  sweet  sounds.  He  gave  in  bounty  what  might 
have  been  the  ransom  of  princes,  yet  toward  the 
proud  he  showed  the  pride  of  Lucifer.     He  would 


210  TEN   TEAKS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE',     OR, 

stand  before  a  crowd  of  repudiating  Mississippi 
voters,  hurling  at  them  taunts,  ridicule,  sarcasm, 
defiance,  until  their  faces  grew  pale  and  their  lips 
livid  with  rage.  And  then  when  the  pestilence 
walked  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  in  almost  every 
house  there  was  found  one  dead ;  without  a  thought 
of  personal  danger,  he  would  devote  weeks  to  the  bed- 
sides of  the  poor  and  the  stranger,  with  all  the  watch- 
ful tenderness  and  untired  patience  of  a  woman. 
He  was  the  idol  of  children  and  no  less  of  Indian 
warriors.  He  is  said  to  have  delivered  the  greatest 
speech  ever  made  in  the  Halls  of  Congress,  and 
yet  the  people  of  the  backwoods  grew  almost 
delirious  under  the  spell  of  his  eloquence.  Before 
the  pistol  of  an  antagonist  at  ten  paces,  his  mien  was 
calm,  his  nerves  firm  as  steel ;  but  if  introduced  to  a 
lady,  his  knees  trembled,  and  his  embarrassment 
would  have  been  ludicrous  had  it  not  been  so  painful. 
Take  him  for  all  in  all,  he  seems  to  me  the  most 
wonderful  man  that  our  country  has  produced.  And 
yet  he  has  left  little  to  justify  this  remark  to  the 
world,  if  I  except  the  unparalled  impression  upon  all 
who  ever  knew  or  heard  him. 

Leaving  Maine,  his  native  State,  when  19  years  of 
ao-e,  he  made  his  way  to  Cincinnati  and  thence  to 
Natchez.  His  object  was,  by  teaching,  to  provide  the 
means  of  preparing  himself  for  the  bar.  "  I  left 
Cincinnati,"   he   said,    "because   everything  was  so 


CHAPTERS   FROM    AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  241 

tame,  everything  so  cheap.  I  couldn't  spend  a  nine- 
pence.  I  was  haunted  too,  by  the  gliosts  of  slaugh- 
tered swine.  I  arrived  at  Natchez  with  one  five  dol- 
lar bill  in  ray  pocket.  I  knew  that  it  was  not  a  cap- 
ital to  trade  upon,  and  I  spent  it  in  the  purchase  of 
confidence.  So  soon  as  I  reached  the  threshold  of 
mine  host,  the  Boniface  of  the  hotel,  I  ordered  a  bottle 
of  wine  with  cigars,  and  called  the  landlord,  as  the 
only  guest,  to  join  me.  He  drank,  and  I  told  him 
who  I  was,  what  I  wanted,  and  what  he  had  to  expect 
in  the  way  of  pay  for  my  fare,  beyond  what  was 
before  us.  He  looked  at  my  face,  said  he  would 
trust  it,  gave  me  his  hand,  and  without  a  word  more 
did  trust  me  for  board  and  lodging  till  I  got  a  school. 
I  kept  school  and  cleared  ground  enough,  of  birchen 
rods  with  which  I  taught  the  young  idea  how  to 
shoot,  to  entitle  me  to  a  preemption  right  of  public 
land."  He  brought  letters  of  introduction  to  a 
wealthy  merchant  of  Natchez,  from  whom  he  bor- 
rowed fifteen  dollars  with  the  promise  to  return  it 
as  soon  as  he  was  able;  at  the  close  of  his  first 
quarter's  tuition,  he  came  into  town  with  a  proud 
heart  to  fulfill  his  pledge,  but  was  shocked  by  a 
severe  reproof  which  the  strict  man  of  debt  and 
ci'cdit  administered  for  his  delay  and  the  trouble 
it  had  given.  Some  years  afterward,  Prentiss 
gained  a  suit  for  this  old  friend,  which  saved  him 

the   bulk   of  his   fortune,    and  the  generous   friend 

11 


242  TEN   YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;      OE, 

of  the  old  time  counted  out  a  five  dollar  bill  as  the 
fee,  which  the  lawyer  had  left  to  his  honor. 

Removing  to  Vicksburg,  notwithstanding  his  youth 
and  that  he  was  a  Yankee,  he  at  once  took  the  fore- 
most position  at  the  bar,  and  was  ere  long  drawn 
into  the  maelstrom  of  politics,  as  every  man  of  de- 
cided character  in  the  South  soon  will  be.  Although 
he  defended  many  a  man  charged  with  murder,  and 
no  doubt  often  robbed  the  gallows  of  its  due,  he 
never,  except  in  two  instances,  prosecuted  men 
charged  with  capital  offences.  One  of  these  was  a 
desperado  named  Phelps,  who  after  a  series  of  high 
crimes  and  misdemeanors,  setting  the  officers  of  the 
law  at  defiance,  had  killed  an  unoffending  citizen  in 
cold  blood.  He  had  borne  himself  throughout  the 
trial  with  the  insolence  of  a  bravo,  treating  all  per- 
sons in  the  court  witli  disdain.  When  Mr.  Prentiss 
rose  as  the  assistant  of  the  prosecuting  attorney,  to 
deliver  his  speech,  the  ruffian  glared  fiercely  at  him, 
like  a  wild  beast  ready  to  spring  upon  a  victim ;  but 
as  the  lawyer  proceeded  to  rehearse  his  crimes  and 
^portrayed  them  in  the  dark  colors  of  their  guilt,  the 
culprit  quailed,  his  head  sank  upon  his  breast,  and  he 
sat  abashed  and  overwhelmed,  not  daring  to  lift  his  eyes 
again  until  after  sentence  of  death  had  been  pro- 
nounced. While  in  the  jail  awaiting  his  execution,  lie 
sent  for  the  man  who  had  scaled  his  fate,  and  the  heart 
which  had  long  been  chilled  and  defiled  in  the  breast  of 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  243 

guilt,  softened  and  bared  itself  to  the  prosecutor. 
He  told  the  story  of  his  life  to  Mr.  Prentiss  and 
then  mentioned  that  he  had  formed  the  purpose  of 
escaping  during  the  trial.  His  plan  was  twofold ; 
first  to  leap  upon  his  prosecutor,  who  aside  from  his 
lameness,  had  the  look  of  a  mere  boy ;  to  kill  him, 
and  then  amidst  the  confusion,  secure  his  own  flight. 
He  was  deterred  from  attempting  to  execute  this 
fine  scheme,  by  reading  in  the  eye  and  bearing  of 
the  youthful  orator  unmistakable  signs  that  such  an 
attempt  would  prove  an  ignominious  failure.  "When 
he  had  disclosed  his  plans,  Mr.  Prentiss  quietly 
remarked,  "I saw  it  all,  but  I  was  prepared  for  you/' 
His  main  object,  in  soliciting  the  interview,  was  to 
unbosom  himself  by  making  known  the  particulars  of 
his  private  history. 

In  those  days,  the  law  of  honor  was  the  higher 
law  religiously  obeyed  in  Mississippi.  Street  fights 
and  duels  were  of  daily  occurrence,  and  every  pro- 
fessional and  political  man  was  expected  to  take  a 
hand  with  rifle,  pistol,  or  bowie  knife,  as  often  as 
convenient.  Such  was  the  general  delight  in  these 
encounters,  that  as  soon  as  the  sound  of  shots  was 
heard,  the  entire  community  flocked  to  the  scene  to 
witness  the  exhibition.  It  is  related  that  as  two  gen- 
tlemen were  engaged  in  target  practice  at  each  other, 
in  one  of  the  villages  of  Mississippi,  some  twenty 
years  ago,  an  overgrown  lad,  the  down  upon  whose 


244  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OE, 

chin  scarce  required  ;i  razor,  rushed  up  and  doVn  the 
street  along  which  the  bullets  were  whizzing,  wring- 
ing his  hands  and  shrieking  convulsively,  while  tears 
dropped  from  his  eyes — "  A  gun  !  a  gun  !  will  no- 
body lend  inc  a  gun  ?  I  understand  it's  a  free  light 
and  I'm  dying  to  have  a  crack." 

It  was  a  matter  of  course  that  so  conspicuous  a 
person  as  Mr.  Prentiss  should  take  his  share  in  these 
honorable  encounters,  which  were  of  almost  daily 
occurrence  in  Yicksburg.  It  is  stated,  on  what  seems 
good  authority,  that  an  enterprising  capitalist  built  a 
steam  ferryboat  to  ply  between  this  thriving  city, 
and  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  where  the  formal 
interviews  usually  took  place,  for  the  express  accom- 
modation of  the  duellists,  their  friends  and  an  inte- 
rested public.  It  is  added  that  the  returns  from  the 
investment  were  large — the  fare  charged  was  twenty- 
five  cents  each  way.  Mr.  P.  had  scarcely  made  his 
brilliant  debut  at  the  Yicksburg  bar  before  a  plan 
was  set  on  foot  to  get  him  out  of  the  way.  It 
was  arranged  that  a  person  who,  having  been  born 
and  educated  a  gentleman;  had  thrown  himself 
away  and  was  fast  becoming  a  sot,  but  who 
was  withal  a  capital  marksman,  should  perform 
this  service  for  the  community.  His  second  bore 
the  challenge.  Prentiss  quietly  read  it  and  stated 
that  he  would  answer  it  at  his  own  time  and  in 
his   own  way.     Selecting  one  of  his  best  shirts,  he 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      245 

dispatched  it  by  his  body-servant   with  the  follow- 
ing note  : 

"  Sir  :  I  accept  your  challenge,  hut  with  one  pro- 
viso— that  you  appear  on  the  ground  in  the  accom- 
panying piece  of  raiment,  as  it  is  impossible  for  me 
to  fight  any  one  who  does  not  observe  the  externals 
of  a  gentleman." 

The  gentleman  withdrew  the  challenge,  but  kept 
the  shirt.  Mr.  Prentiss  had  two  duels  with  General 
Foote,  which,  by  the  way,  were  the  only  times  he 
ever  fought,  for  the  various  little  episodes  with  fists 
and  canes  are  not  to  be  taken  into  the  account.  At 
their  second  meeting,  a  large  crowd  was  assembled 
to  witness  the  scene.  One  shot  had  been  fired, 
Foote's  ball  flying  wide  of  his  antagonist,  while 
Prentiss'  had  missed  fire.  The  parties  were  placed 
at  ten  paces  for  the  second  round,  pistol  in  hand, 
•  only  waiting  the  word.  The  intense  interest  of  the 
spectators  had  drawn  them  in  two  long  lines  close  to 
the  combatants,  leaving  only  a  narrow  lane  for  the 
passage  of  the  balls.  An  urchin,  who  had  small 
chance  to  see,  in  the  crowd,  had  taken  a  tree  in  the 
rear  of  Mr.  P.,  and  by  alert  climbing  was  rapidly 
gaining  the  branches,  where  from  a  comfortable  seat 
he  might  witness  the  transaction.  Prentiss  observed 
him  and  said  in  his  kindest  tone,  "My  son,  you  had 


246  TEN    YKARS    OF    PKEACHEK-LIFE  ;      OK, 

better  look  out ;  I  am  afraid  you  will  be  hit.  Gene- 
ral Foote  is  shooting  very  wild  to-day."  The  remark 
and  the  manner  of  its  delivery  called  forth  a  round 
of  three  cheers  from  the  bystanders,  when,  order 
being  restored,  the  fight  proceeded. 

As  he  was  about  to  retire  one  morning  toward 
three  o'clock,  there  was  a  violent  rap  at  the  door ; 
opening  it,  he  encountered  a  mechanic  known  to  him 
by  sight,  who  was  evidently  under  the  influence  of 
liquor,  and  demanded  immediate  satisfaction  for 
some  fancied  insult  he  had  received  at  Mr.  P.'s 
hands.  Prentiss  reasoned  with  him,  suggesting  that 
he  should  go  home  and  sleep  on  the  matter,  and  if, 
after  cool  reflection,  he  desired  to  appease  his  honor, 
he  should  be  satisfied ;  but  the  fellow  was  immova- 
bly set  upon  fighting  then  and  there.  Always  dis- 
posed to  oblige  his  friends,  Mr.  P.  called  up  his 
body-servant  Burr,  and  good-humoredly  requested 
him  to  bring  his  case  of  duelling  pistols,  and  then 
proceeded  with  great  deliberation  to  load  them. 
Giving  the  choice  to  the  aspirant  for  duelling  distinc- 
tion, he  took  the  other,  and  it  was  arranged  that  the 
parties  should  take  their  stands  on  the  piazza  in  rear 
of  the  office,  at  eight  paces.  Burr,  greatly  elated  at 
the  thought  of  his  important  post,  was  to  hold  the 
candles,  £0  that  the  light,  falling  through  the  win- 
dows, should  be  thrown  directly  upon  the  combat- 
tauts.      When  all  things  were  in  readiness,  he  was  to 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AX   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  247 

count,  in  a  loud,  clear  voice  from  one  to  five  ;  the  fir- 
ing to  take  place  at  discretion,  anywhere  between  the 
first  and  the  last  number.  Pistol  in  hand,  the  men 
t«>uk  their  stand,  their  eyes  glancing  along  the  bar- 
rels; waiting  only  the  dreadful  word,  one !  .  .  .  when 
the  mechanic,  flinging  his  pistol  to  the  ground,  cried, 
"Prentiss,  do  you  suppose  I'm  such  a  fool  as  to  be 
fighting  you  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  with 
nobody  but  a  nigger  by  ?  I  thought  I  was  as  brave 
a  man  as  you  are,  but  I  ain't ;  so  let's  shake  hands 
and  be  friends." 

Riding  the  circuit  in  Mississippi  a  quarter  of  a 
century  ago  was  no  child's  play.  Bench  and  bar, 
mounted  on  horseback,  with  briefs  and  records 
stalled  into  saddle-bags,  had  to  make  long  journeys 
over  roads  which  were  sometimes  knee-deep  in  mud 
and  which  sometimes  dwindled  to  a  bridle-path  or 
even  to  a  faint  trace ;  fording  and  swimming  streams 
frequently  out  of  their  banks,  flooding  the  country 
for  miles  on  either  side,  and  crossing  swamps  where 
miring  was  a  common  occurrence,  and  where  it  was 
no  uncommon  thing  for  a  quicksand  to  swallow  the 
horse  and  put  the  rider  up  to  all  he  knew  to  save  his 
own  life.  The  taverns  were  log  cabins,  so  were  the 
court-houses  and  jails.  The  recreations  of  the  sprigs 
of  the  law — after  a  hard  day's  journey,  or  the  yet 
more  arduous  duties  of  the  court-room — were  story- 
telling, whisky  punch  or  whisky  reverend  (as  the  un- 


248  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  |      OR, 

mixed  is  styled),  and  a  game  of  "  seven-up "  or 
"poker,"  in  which  judge,  jurors,  sheriff,  clerk,  wit- 
nesses, clients  and  lawyers  united. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  inserting  here  the  account  of 
one  of  Mr.  Prentiss'  journeys,  from  the  pen  of  Col. 
Baillie  Peyton,  as  characteristic  of  the  man  and  the 
times. 

"  On  landing  at  Vicksburg,  in  November  of 
1843,  en  route  from  Tennessee  to  New  Orleans,  I 
found  Mr.  Prentiss  and  Col.  Forrester,  an  old  friend 
and  former  colleague  in  Congress  from  Tennessee, 
looking  out  for  me.  They  made  so  strong  an  appeal, 
that  I  was  induced  to  leave  the  steamer  and  accom- 
pany them  to  Hillsborough,  the  county  seat  of  Scott 
County,  situated  in  the  interior  of  Mississippi,  where 
the  Board  of  Commissioners  appointed  by  the  Presi- 
dent to  adjudicate  the  claim  of  the  Choctaw  Indians, 
was  about  to  meet.  A  few  days  before  my  arrival, 
a  most  violent  and  calumnious  article  appeared  in  a 
newspaper  published  at  Vicksburg,  in  which  these 
claims  were  denounced  as  fraudulent  and  Col.  For- 
rester and  Mr.  Prentiss  held  up  in  a  most  odious 
light  before  the  public.  The  name  of  the  author 
was  demanded,  and  after  some  hesitation,  rather 
than  meet  the  consequences  of  a  refusal,  the  editor 
agreed  to  place  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Prentiss  a  sealed 
package  containing  full  and  undeniable  evidence  of 
the  authorship,  to  be  opened  at  Hillsborough,  on  con- 


OOAPTKES   FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGEAPIIY.  249 

clition   that    Mr. ,    one   of  the    commissioners, 

should  deny  himself  to  be  the  author  of  the  article. 

"This  expedition,  partaking  somewhat  of  both  a 
civil  and  military  character,  afforded  the  best  oppor- 
tunity I  ever  had  for  appreciating  the  personal 
qualities  and  splendid  abilities  of  Mr.  Prentiss.  Our 
journey  led  through  Jackson,  the  capital  of  the 
State,  where  I  heard  him  publicly  denounce  repudia- 
tion as  a  crime,  as  an  act  of  moral  turpitude,  when 
surrounded  by  repudiators  who  had  all  '  been  out,' 
and  many  of  whom  had  shot  their  man  with  perfect 
impunity ;  but  those  who  did  not  like  him  too  well, 
dreaded  him  too  much  to  make  it  a  personal  matter. 

"  After  travelling  several  days  over  roads  almost 
impassable,  through  a  country  thinly  settled,  chiefly 
by  squatters,  we  arrived  at  Hillsborough.  It  was  a 
small  village,  with  the  forest  trees  standing  on  the 
public  square  and  in  most  of  the  streets.  Here  and 
there  lay  a  fallen  trunk,  cut  down  for  fire-wood ;  the 
limbs  being  lopped  off  as  occasion  required.  The 
court-house,  jail  and  private  dwellings  were  built  of 
trees,  the  former  and  some  of  the  latter  having  two 
sides  hewn.  At  this  rude  place  were  collected  an 
immense  number  of  Choctaw  Indians  and  land 
speculators. 

"The  object  of  Mr.  P.'s  visit  was  to  expose  the 

commissioner,    who    had    publicly   denounced    the 

claims  he  was  about  to  adjudicate,  drive  him  from 

11* 


250  TEN   YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OK, 

the  Board,  or  induce  the  other  commissioners  to 
refuse  to  sit  with  him,  on  the  ground  that  he  had 
disqualified  himself,  both  as  a  judge  and  as  a  gentle- 
man, to  be  associated  with  them  in  the  decision  of 
causes  which  he  had  prejudged ;  and  also  to  demand 
personal  satisfaction  for  the  abusive  article. 

"This  journey  to  Hillsborough,  as  I  have  said — the 
nature  of  the  business  which  called  him  there — the 
crowd  of  men,  savage,  semi-savage,  civilized  and  semi- 
civilized,  amongst  whom  he  was  thrown,  and  to  all 
of  whom  he  was  the  chief  object  of  attention  ;  the 
philippics  he  hurled  in  the  face  of  that  com- 
missioner, presented  S.  S.  Prentiss  in  a  great  variety 
of  scenes  and  in  a  more  interesting  point  of  view 
than  I  ever  saw  him  or  any  other  man. 

"  We  arrived  a  day  or  two  before  the  Board  was 
convened  for  the  transaction  of  business,  and  put  up 
with  an  unlettered  but  well-meaning  old  gentleman, 
who  filled  a  variety  of  public  offices ;  being  the 
town  "  squire,"  jailer  and  tavern-keeper,  in  which 
last  vocation  he  had  many  competitors. 

"  When  not  otherwise  employed,  we  amused  our- 
selves in  shooting  squirrels,  which  proved  to  be  no 
small  accession  to  our  bill-of-fare.  Broiled  grey 
squirrels  are  quite  a  delicacy  when  properly  cooked, 
and  this  Mr.  Prentiss  superintended  in  person,  call- 
ing loudly  for  butter  with  which  to  dress  them. 

"lie  was  formally  introduced  to  the  chief,  '  Captain 


CHAPTERS  FEOM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      251 

Post  Oak,'  a  perfect  model  of  the  .natural  man,  six 
feet  six  or  eight  inches  in  height ;  he  joined,  too,  in 
the  sports  of  the  Indians,  among  other  things  shooting 
blow-guns,  at  which  he  soon  became  so  expert  that 
he  beat  the  best  of  them.  A  blow-gun  is  formed  of 
a  reed  or  cane,  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  length, 
bored  through  so  as  to  admit  the  passage  of  a  light 
arrow,  which  is  ejected  by  the  breath ;  hence  the 
name.  "With  this  weapon  the  Indians  are  able  to 
bring  down  birds  and  squirrels  from  the  trees. 

"In  passing  the  jail  one  day,  we  caught  a  glimpse 
of  a  prisoner  confined  in  the  dungeon  or  lower  story. 
He  beckoned  us  to  the  grates,  and  then,  through 
livid  lips  and  chattering  teeth,  for  it  was  frosty 
Norember  weather,  poured  forth  a  touching  appeal 
for  protection,  strongly  protesting  his  innocence  and 
declaring  his  ignorance  of  the  charge  against  him. 
Additional  interest  was  imparted  to  the  situation  of 
this  man,  on  account  of  the  fate  of  two  who  had  been 
recently  elected  to  the  gallows  by  a  public  meeting 
of  the  sovereigns. 

"  Repairing  forthwith  to  the  tavern,  we  inquired 
of  our  landlord  as  to  the  charge  against  him  and 
requested,  as  his  counsel,  to  see  the  mittimus  upon 
which  he  was  committed.  The  "Squire  "  appeared 
to  be  somewhat  embarrassed,  and  at  length  acknow- 
ledged that  there  had  been  no  regular  commitment, 
nor  even  any  specific  charge  against  him ;  but  said 


252  TEN   TEARS   OF   PREACIIER-LIFE ;     OB, 

the  fellow  was  a*  doubtful  character  and  had  been 
imprisoned  on  suspicion.  *  On  suspicion  of  what?' 
asked  Mr.  Prentiss.  "  Has  anybody  been  killed,  or 
robbed,  or  lost  a  horse,  a  hog  or  a  cow?'  'No, 
no,'  said  the  Squire,  'nothing  of  that  sort  has  hap- 
pened, but  then  he  is  a  kind  of  surplus  character, 
circulating  about,  and  not  very  agre'ble  at  that.' 

"  Mr.  Prentiss  declared  that  he  should  be  set  free ; 
that  if  the  Squire  refused  to  turn  him  out,  he  should 
be  discharged  on  habeas  corpus,  if  he  had  to  gc  to 
Jackson  himself  for  the  writ,  and  sue  every  man  con- 
cerned in  his  detention,  for  false  imprisonment.  This 
startled  the  Squire,  who  had  never  seen  nor  had  he 
any  definite  idea  of  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  and 
entertaining  a  respect  mingled  with  awe  for  Mr. 
Prentiss,  he  consented  to  discharge  the  prisoner. 
Unfortunately  however,  his  son,  who  had  that 
morning  ridden  twelve  miles  into  the  country  in 
quest  of  butter  wherewith  to  dress  our  squirrels,  had 
carried  the  key  of  the  jail  with  him  ;  so  that  it  could 
not  be  opened  until  he  came  back.  Meanwhile,  Mr. 
Prentiss,  whose  whole  heart  was  now  in  the  matter, 
and  who  felt  like  an  ancient  knight  bent  upon  the 
rescue  of  an  unfortunate  captive  from  some  feudal 
castle,  returned  to  console  the  prisoner  with  the  pros- 
pect of  his  early  liberation.  He,  poor  fellow,  stood 
shivering,  with  sunken  eyes  and  hollowed  cheeks, 
looking    the    picture     of  .  despair.       Mr.    Prentiss 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  253 

inquired  if  be  did  not  think  a  little  brandy  would 
help  him  !  '  Mightily!  but  there  is  no  chance  to  get 
it  in  to  me.'  Mr.  Prentiss,  however,  set  his  fertile 
ingenuity  to  work,  and  succeeded,  by  introducing  a 
blow-gun  through  the  grates,  one  end  of  which  the 
prisoner  put  to  his  mouth,  while  the  brandy  was 
poured  into  the  other. 

"  Finally,  the  young  man  having  returned  with  the 
key,  he  was  brought  to  the  tavern,  ate  a  hearty  meal, 
received  a  handsome  purse,  sufficient  to  supply  his 
immediate  wants,  and  went  on  his  way  rejoicing ; 
looking  upon  his  liberation  as  next  to  a  miracle,  and 
on  the  generous  man  who  accomplished  it,  as  his 
good  angel. 

"  There  was  to  me  something  inexpressibly  interest- 
ing in  this  scene,  as  the  poor  fellow  gazed  in  the  face 
of  his  deliverer,  and  hung  around  him  as  though  he 
felt  secure  in  his  newly-gained  freedom,  only  in  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Prentiss.  It  called  to  mind  the 
touching  picture  of  Uncle  Toby  at  the  bedside  of 
Lcfevre,  and  the  effect  produced  by  his  honest,  bene- 
volent face,  ki  winning  the  heart  of  the  little  son  of 
the  dying  officer,  who  was  unconsciously  drawn  to 
his  sido  and  took  hold  of  his  hand. 

"All  that  Sterne  said  of  his  hero,  and  more,  might 
without  exaggeration  be  said  of  Mr.  Prentiss. 
'There  was  a  frankness  in  him  which  led  you  at 
once  into  his  soul,  and  showed  you  his  goodness  of 


254  TEX    YEARS    OF    TREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

nature.  There  was  something  in  his  look,  and  voice, 
and  manner,  which  internally  beckoned  to  the  unfor- 
tunate, inviting  them  to  come  and  take  shelter  under 
him.'  lie  was,  indeed,  a  man  whom,  at  first  sight, 
the  lowest  would  trust,  the  distressed  appeal  to  and 
the  brave  confide  in. 

"  But  to  return  to  our  business  at  Hillsborough. 
When  the  Board  met  in  the  log  cabin,  the  scene  was 
picturesque  in  the  extreme.  There  were  the  three  com- 
missioners, Mr.  Graves,  Mr.  Tyler  (a  brother  of  the 

President  of  the  United  States)  and  Mr. ,  with 

their  clerk,  seated  on  one  side  of  a  table  made  of 
pine  boards ;  on  the  other  sat  the  counsel  of  the 
Indians,  while  the  building  was  filled  to  overflowing 
with  their  clients,  hundreds  of  whom,  unable  to  find 
room  inside,  were  crowded  around  the  house,  with 
their  swarthy  faces  and  dark  eyes  peering  through 
the  apertures  between  the  logs.- 

"  Mr.  Prentiss  rose  to  a  preliminary  question,  and 
handing  a  newspaper  containing  the  offensive  arti- 
cle to  Mr. ,  inquired  whether  he  was  or  was  not 

the  author;  to  which  he  replied,  with  some  hesita- 
tion and  evident  embarrassment,  in  the  negative. 
Whereupon,  Mr.  Prentiss  drew  from  his  pocket  and 
broke  the  seal  of  an  envelope  containing  the  papers 
which  had  been  placed  in  his  hands  by  the  editor  of 
the  Vicksbnrg  Sentinel.  They  proved  to  be  the 
original  manuscript  from  which  the  article  was  pub- 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  255 

Iishecl,  in  the  handwriting  of  Mr. ,  and  also  his 

letter  to  the  editor  which  accompanied  the  same. 
In  this  letter  he  boldly  assumed  whatever  responsi- 
bility might  attach  to  him  as  author  of  the  article, 
and  in  advance  tendered  personal  satisfaction  to  the 
party  aggrieved.  As  these  documents  were  pro- 
duced, and  the  truth  flashed  upon  him,  the  commis- 
sioner made  a  lame  effort  t^  qualify  his  denial  by 
saying,  '  I  was  the  writer,  but  not  the  author  of  the 
article,  having  copied  it  for  a  friend.' 

"  Mr.  Prentiss  proceeded  to  read  the  letter  and 
manuscript  article,  in  the  latter  of  which  'one  For- 
rester,' and  certain  '  influential  men '  acting  with 
him,  were  denounced  in  unmeasured  terms,  the 
claims  they  advocated  condemned,  as  '  the  most  stu- 
pendous fraud  ever  devised,'  and  the  whole  thing 
represented  as  a  deeply-laid  plot  to  swindle  the 
United  States  and  the  good  people  of  Mississippi. 

"  The  commissioner  was  eulogized  as  if  he  were  the 
only  man  in  the  commission  who  possessed  the 
talents,  honesty,  independence  and  patriotism  to 
throw  himself  in  the  breach  and  resist  the  pecu- 
lators. 

"  Having  read  these  documents  with  marked  deli- 
beration and  emphasis,  Mr.  Prentiss  threw  down  the 
papers  and  raised  himself  to  his  full  height,  his  noble 
front  erect  and  chest  expanded  by  the  tension  of  his 
soul ;  his  countenance  then  glowed  with  the  fire  of 


25(j  TEN    YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE ;     OR, 

intellect,  and  Lis  eye  consumed,  with  '  lightnings  of 
scorn  that  laughed  forth  as  he  spoke,'  the  form  of 
that  base  commissioner.  Thus  as  he  stood,  the 
painter  or  the  sculptor  who  should  have  mirrored  his 
features  on  canvas,  or  graven  them  in  marble,  would 
have  then  and  there  won  immortality. 

"  Ere  he  had  uttered  one  word,  his  work  was  ac- 
complished; the  man^was  gone — the  former  judge 
was  the  convicted  culprit.  During  the  two  hours  in 
which  that  torrent  of  eloquence  descended,  I  do  not 
believe  its  effect  at  any  moment  exceeded  what  his 
look  had  realized.  I  never  till  then  understood  the 
force  of  an  expression  used  by  Disraeli,  I  believe  in 
describing  Yoltaire,  '  That  he  possessed  in  a  remark- 
able degree,  physiognomical  eloquence.'  If  the 
philippic  of  Cicero  which  drove  Catiline  from  Rome 
was  as  terrible,  no  wonder  that  traitor  left  the  city. 

"On  this  occasion,  Mr.  Prentiss,  with  an  oppressed 
nation  as  his  clients,  had  a  noble  theme  for  oratory, 
scarcely  inferior  in  interest  and  variety  to  that  of 
Sheridan  in  the  trial  of  Hastings. 

"  He  gave  a  most  interesting  history  of  the  Choc- 
taws  as  a  nation,  of  their  pacific  character  and  uni- 
form friendship  for  people  of  the  United  States; 
dwelling  with  great  effect  upon  the  oppression  and 
injustice  which  they  had  already  experienced.  He 
described  what  a  judge  should  be,  investing  him  with 
almost  divine  attributes  of  virtue,  and  wisdom,  and 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  257 

justice ;  and  then  contrasted  sucli  a  pure  and  ele- 
vated character  with  the  prejudiced  partisan   and 

unprincipled  demagogue,  who  acting  in  the  name, 
and  clothed  with  the  power  of  his  government,  was 
about  to  crush  the  last  hope  of  an  injured  people, 
and  filch  from  them  the  mite  which  that  government, 
in  the  exercise  of  its  resistless  power,  had  seen  fit  to 
grant  them.  In  alluding  to  the  wrongs  which  the 
Choctaws  had  experienced  in  return  for  their  good 
conduct,  he  melted  the  hearts  of  all — Indians  and 
white  men — and  drew  tears  from  eyes  before  which 
death  had  no  terrors ;  groans  and  sobs  burst  from 
stoic  bosoms,  and  cheeks  were  wet  which  had  seldom 
or  never  been  profaned  by  a  tear. 

"The  Board  adjourned  to  consider  the  motion  to 
expel  Mr. ,  and  at  its  next  sitting  he  read  a  pro- 
test against  the  power  of  his  colleagues  to  deprive 
him  of  a  commission  he  received  from  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  which  was  the  occasion  of 
such  another  speech  from  Mr.  Prentiss  as  I  have  just 
described.  But  the  other  commissioners  refused  to 
sit  with  him,  referred  the  question  to  "Washington 
for  the  decision  of  the  President  and  adjourned 
sine  die. 

"The  personal  satisfaction  which  had  been  tendered 

in  advance  by  Mr. ,  was  refused  by  him,  and 

having  thus  retreated  beyond  the  pale  of  honor,  he 
was  dropped.  The  President  afterward  removed  him." 


258  TEN   YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;      OR, 

Mr.  Prentiss'  power  over  juries  is  illustrated  by 
the  following  incident  which  occurred  in  a  piney- 
woods  region,  not  far  from  Pearl  River,  Mississippi. 
He  appeared  for  tlie  defendant  in  a  suit  brought  for 
damage,  the 'panel,  composed  of  wire-grass  people, 
were  thrilled  by  his  marvellous  eloquence,  and  despis- 
ing the  technical  forms  of  the  law  ;  without  retiring 
from  the  box,  agreed  upon  their  verdict,  which  was 
thus  delivered  viva  voce  by  the  foreman  ;  "  We  finds 
for  lawyer  Prentiss,  the  plaintive  to  pay  the  costs." 

lie  was  the  head  and  front  of  that  party  in  the 
State,  respectable  for  intelligence  and  position,  but 
ovcrweighed  at  the  polls,  which  insisted  irpon  the 
payment  of  the  bonds  due  from  Mississippi  to  her 
creditors.  This  party  had  been  defeated  in  one 
popular  election,  but  some  of  the  leaders  thought 
that  success  might  yet  be  attained  by  nominating 
for  the  office  of  governor,  Judge  Sharkey,  a  man  of 
irreproachable  character  and  withal  very  popular  in 
the  State.  Mr.  P.  felt  that  it  would  be  hazarding 
too  much  to  remove  Judge  S.  from  the  place  of 
Chief  Justice  on  the  Supreme  Bench,  and  subject 
him  to  the  chance  of  a  popular  election,  he  therefore 
induced  the  nominating  Committee  of  the  Whig 
Convention,  assembled  in  Jackson  in  June,  1S43,  to 
alter  their  determination  of  proposing  Judge  Sharkey, 
and  to  substitute  the  name  of  another  promirert  mem- 
ber of  the  party.     This  created  a  perfect  furor  of 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      259 

dissatisfaction  among  the  members  of  that  body. 
■Complaints  and  murmurs  arose  from  all  quarters  of 
the  hall.  No  one  objected  to  the  gentleman  who 
was  offered,  but  nearly  everybody  preferred  Judge 
Sharkey. 

During  all  this  excitement,  Mr.  Prentiss,  clad 
carelessly  in  a  plain  summer  suit,  his  collar  open  and 
his  fine  flowing  locks  streaming  unarranged  and 
almost  wildly,  sat  perfectly  calm  and  silent.  The 
time  had  not  arrived  at  which  he  decided  to  mingle 
in  the  strife  and  assign  the  reasons  for  his  conduct. 
At  length  a  member  addressed  the  president,  and 
proposed  to  strike  out  the  name  of  the  person  re- 
ported from  the  Committee  as  the  candidate,  and  to 
insert  that  of  "Win.  L.  Sharkey.  The  motion  was 
not  even  seconded  before  Mr.  Prentiss  sprang,  rather 
than  rose,  to  his  feet,  threw  his  well-known  stick 
in  its  accustomed  place  to  support  his  infirm  limb, 
and  advancing  energetically  to  the  front  of  his  desk, 
began  to  pour  forth  one  of  those  powerful  and  over- 
whelming torrents  of  eloquence  for  which  he  has 
become  so  famed.  The  peculiar  sound  of  his  cane, 
as  he  limped  along  from  his  seat  (a  sound  which  is 
well  remembered  in  Mississippi  and  which  never 
failed  to  draw  universal  attention  whenever,  during 
his  service  in  Congress,  he  entered  the  Hall  of  Repre- 
sentatives), at  once  stilled  the  audience  into  the 
most  perfect  silence.     Every  one  could  see  that  the 


260  TEN   YEARS    OF   PKEACUEK-LEFE  ;      OR, 

mood  was  upon  him,  and  that  he  had  been  touched 
by  the  magic  wand  of  his  ministering  Genius.  lie 
assailed  the  motion,  as  striking  a  death-blow  at  the 
already  crippled  character  of  Mississippi.  With  more 
than  usual  skill,  he  drew  a  graphic  picture  of  the 
whole  array  of  rcpudiators,  "with  their  ragged 
pirate  flag,  borne  shamelessly  in  the  midst  of  them, 
advancing  in  swarms  to  do  their  murderous,  in- 
famous work.  He  described  them  as  "  Huns," 
guided  by  leaders  who  owned  all  the  atrocious  prin- 
ciples of  Attila,  without  possessing  his  courage  or 
his  talents."  Alluding  to  the  defeat  which  the 
bond-payers  had  sustained  at  the  last  elections,  he 
spoke  with  power  unsurpassed  against  that  policy 
which  dictated  to  us,  "  after  having  lost  the  main 
battle  and  been  driven  back  from  every  post  and 
routed  at  all  points,  to  draw  our  greatest  leader 
from  the  strong  citadel  of  the  Supreme  Court  to 
encounter  an  uncertain  fate  in  a  hazardous  cam- 
paign." This  citadel  maintained,  he  declared  that 
the  "wild  beast  of  Repudiation"  was  restrained 
from  striking,  at  least,  the  last  fatal  and  irrecover- 
able blow  on  the  already  prostrate  name  of  Missis- 
sippi. "  Here,  after  having  scattered  his  vile  foam 
and  exhaled  his  pestilential  breath  in  every  other 
quarter,  he  could  at  last  be  muzzled  and  strangled." 
lie  then  spoke  with  deep  feeling  of  the  purity, 
learning  and  spotless  character  of  Judge  Sharkey, 


CHAPTERS   FKOM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  2G1 

and  declared  that  "  the  honest  men  of  Mississippi 
conld  not  spare  him  from  the  bench  at  such  a  time." 
His  court  "  was  the  last  refuge  left  under  the  inflic- 
tions of  this  worse  than  Egyptian  plague,"  and  they 
would  rise  up  in  one  solid  mass  to  protest  against 
his  being  surrendered — against  the  "letting  go  of 
our  only  hold,  to  flounder  amidst  the  uncertainties 
of  a  political  campaign."  He  said,  with  an  expres- 
sion of  countenance  that  thrilled  the  audience,  that 
"  Judge  Sharkey  should  not  be  forced  to  soil  the 
pure  ermine  of  judicial  eminence  by  seeking  an 
engagement  with  this  unclean  monster."  Still,  he 
continued,  it  was  "  essential  to  fight  the  beast,  pes- 
tiferous as  it  was."  He  had  read  in  Roman  history 
that  the  march  of  a  whole  army  had  been  once 
arrested  by  coming  in  contact  with  a  huge  serpent, 
whose  very  breath  poisoned  the  entire  atmosphere 
around  them.  Regains  halted  his  columns  and 
decided  that  safety  called  for  the  destruction  of  the 
monster,  even  though  many  human  lives  should  be 
the  forfeit.  If  the  serpent,  as  was  naturally  to  be 
expected,  should  follow  on  their  march,  the  whole 
army  must  inevitably  be  swept  away  by  pestilence  ; 
and  thus,  day  after  day,  were  detachments  drawn 
out,  until  the  destroyer  was  in  turn  destroyed. 
"  Our  march,"  he  continued,  "  to  fame  and  to  great- 
ness as  a  State  has  been  impeded  by  the  interven- 
tion of  this  vile  serpent,   Repudiation."     "Its  hiss 


262      TEN  TEARS  OF  PREACH  EK-LIFE ;  OR, 

is  heard  from  every  hill  and  through  every  broad 
valley  of  Mississippi.  Already  its  venom  has  blighted 
their  bloom  and  freshness ;  the  very  air  by  which 
they  were  nourished  is  contaminated,  and  certain 
death  seems  to  be  the  fate  of  all  who  venture 
within  the  tainted  precincts.  One  only  spot  is  safe 
from  its  noxious  influence,  and  let  us  rather  closely 
guard  every  avenue  of  approach,  than  open  the 
way  for  the  incursion  of  this  fell  destroyer.  He 
should  be  fought  by  the  subordinates,  the  rank  and 
file  of  the  army ;  but  all  America  would  deplore  and 
ridicule  the  policy  which  the  resolution  in  question, 
if  adopted,  must  force  upon  the  bond-paying  party." 
Col.  Thorpe  thus  described  a  scene  which  oc- 
curred at  New  Orleans,  in  February,  1844,  on  occa- 
sion of  Mr.  Clay's  visit.  ''The  streets  about  the  St. 
Charles  Hotel  presented  a  vast  ocean  of  heads,  and 
every  building  commanding  a  view  was  literally 
covered  with  human  beings.  The  great  statesman 
of  the  West  presented  himself  to  the  multitude,  be- 
tween the  tall  columns  of  the  finest  portico  in  the 
country.  The  scene  was  beyond  description.  As 
the  crowd  swayed  to  and  fro,  a  shout  was  raised  for 
Mr.  Clay  to  speak;  he  uttered  a  sentence  or  two, 
waved  his  hand  in  adieu,  and  escaped  amidst  the 
prevailing  confusion.  Prentiss  meanwhile,  evidently 
unconscious  of  being  himself  noticed,  was  at  a  side 
window,  gazing  upon  what  was  passing  with  all  the 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      2G3 

delight  of  the  humblest  spectator.  Suddenly  his 
name  was  announced.  Pie  attempted  to  withdraw 
from  public  gaze,  but  his  friends  pushed  him  forward. 
Again  his  name  was  shouted,  hats  and  caps  were 
thrown  in  the  air  and  he  was  finally  compelled 
to  show  himself  on  the  portico.  "With  remarkable 
delicacy,  he  chose  a  less  prominent  place  than  that 
previously  occupied  by  Mr.  Clay,  although  perfectly 
visible.  He  thanked  his  friends  for  their  kindness 
by  repeated  bows  and  by  such  smiles  as  he  alone 
could  give.  'A  speech!  a  speech!'  thundered  a 
thousand  voices.  He  lifted  his  hand,  in  an  instant 
everything  was  still — then  pointing  to  the  group  that 
had  surrounded  Mr.  Clay,  he  said,  '  Fellow  citizens, 
when  the  eagle  is  soaring  in  the  sky,  the  owls  and 
the  bats  retire  to  their  holes.'  And  long  before  the 
shout  that  followed  this  remark  ceased,  Prentiss  had 
disappeared  amid  the  multitude." 

The  popular  assembly  was  the  place  of  his  proudest 
exhibitions.  To  the  multitude,  he  was  as  a  trumpet, 
lie  said,  "  Fellow  citizens !"  and,  aurlbus  ercctis,  the 
people  stood  still,  or  swayed  to  and  fro,  or  shouted,  or 
were  sad,  smiled  or  frowned,  at  his  magic  will.  He 
was  invited  just  after  the  adjournment  of  Congress, 
in  the  summer  of  183S,  to  address  a  mass  meeting  at 
Havre  de  Grace,  Maryland,  and  thus  made  his  bow 
to  the  audience:    "Fellow  citizens,    by  the  Fathei 


2G4  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  J     OR, 

of  Waters  at  New  Orleans,  I  have  said  Fellow  citi- 
zens— on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Ohio,  1  have  said 
Fellow  citizens — here  I  say  Fellow  citizens — and  a 
thousand  miles  beyond  this,  North,  thanks  be  to 
God,  I  can  still  say,  Fellow  citizens !"  Thus,  in 
a  single  sentence,  he  saluted  his  audience,  drew 
every  man,  woman  and  child  near  to  him,  made 
himself  dear  to  them ;  by  a  word  covered  the 
continent — by  a  line  mapped  the  United  States 
from  the  Gulf  to  the  Lakes — by  a  greeting  warm 
from  the  heart,  beaming  from  the  countenance ;  de- 
picted the  whole  country,  its  progress,  development, 
grandeur,  glory  and  union.  Every  hat  was  whirled 
in  the  air,  every  handkerchief  was  waving,  the  wel- 
kin rung  with  hurrahs,  the  multitude  heaved  up 
to  the  stand,  stood  on  tip-too  and  shouted  cheer  after 
cheer,  as  if  wild  with  joy  and  mad  with  excitement. 

While  Mr.  Prentiss  was  delivering  a  speech  in 
Faneuil  Hall,  Boston,  Edward  Everett,  unable  to 
contain  himself,  turned  to  Mr.  "Webster  and  said, 
"  Did  you  ever  hear  such  astonishing  eloquence  V 
"Never  from  any  one,  but  Mr.  Prentiss  himself," 
was  Mr.  Webster's  reply. 

During  the  presidential  canvass  of  18J4,  he  was 
making  one  of  his  great  speeches  before  an  immense 
audience  in  Nashville,  Tennessee.  Overcome  by  his 
exertions,  he  fell  fainting  into  the  arms  of  his  friend, 


CHAPTERS    FKOM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  265 

Gov.  Jones,  who,  frenzied  with  excitement,  shouted 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  over  the  unconscious  form 
which  he  supported,  "  Die,  Prentiss !  die  now,  you 
will  never  have  again  an  opportunity  so  glorious." 

Having  used  his  best  exertions  to  convert  the 
people  of  Mississippi  from  their  disgraceful  policy  of 
Repudiation,  and  mortified  beyond  expression  at  the 
idea  of  remaining  in  a  State  which  refused  to  pay  its 
debts,  he  removed,  in  1844,  to  ]STew  Orleans.  It  was 
in  the  bar-room  of  the  St.  Charles,  in  February,  1848, 
that  I  saw  this  extraordinary  person  for  the  first  time. 
He  died  a  little  more  than  two  years  after,  in  his 
forty-second  year.  His  death  was  hastened  by  the 
fearful  drafts  made  upon  his  admirable  constitution 
in  his  political  career  ;  and  by  the  superhuman  exer- 
tions he  put  forth  in  professional  labors,  to  relieve 
himself  from  embarrassments  which  hedged  him 
about,  and  were  in  great  part  the  results  of  gaming. 
Few  books  of  American  biography  reveal  a  charac- 
ter possessed  of  such  sweet,  beautiful  and  noble 
traits,  adorned  with  the  highest  gifts  of  genius,  and 
enriched  by  all  the  culture  possible  in  his  position,  as 
the  Memoirs  of  S.  S.  Prentiss  ;  to  which  by  tho 
way,  I  am  indebted  for  much  of  the  material  for  this 
sketch.  But  few  leave  so  painful  and  sad  an  im- 
pression. It  is  the  story  of  a  man  who  might  have 
been  the  boast  of  his  race — the  glory  of  his  nation  ; 


12 


266  TEN   YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

who  with  talents  and  opportunities  the  greatest,  died 
before  his  time,  and  now  discrowned  of  his  kingly 
power,  with  ghostly  finger  points  the  eyes  of  his 
countrymen  to  that  solemn  warning  coupled  with  the 
imperishable  truth,  "  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that 
also  shall  he  reap." 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      267 


CIIAPTEE   XVHI. 

"  GOING   TO   AND   FRO   IN   THE   EARTH,  AND   WALKING    UP 
AND   DOWN   LN   IT." 

It  liad  been  my  intention  to  winter  in  the  South 
and  bear  warm  weather  company  in  its  progress 
northward.  Accordingly,  after  a  sojourn  of  two  or 
three  weeks  in  that  least  American  of  our  cities, 
New  Orleans,  I  crossed  the  lake  and  gained  the 
quiet  town  of  Mobile.  During  my  stay  among  kind 
friends  in  this  place,  I  received  a  letter  from  the  pre- 
siding elder  of  the  Montgomery  district,  in  which  he 
stated  that  the  church  in  Montgomery  was  without  a 
preacher  and  that  they  would  like  to  secure  my 
services.  The  world  was  open  to  me  where  to 
choose  a  residence,  my  passion  for  travelling  was 
sated  for  the  present,  I  yearned  for  an  opportunity 
to  devote  myself  to  study.  I  was  charmed  with  the 
beautiful  social  life  and  warm-hearted  hospitality  of 
the  South,  and  above  all  I  longed  for  a  home,  and  for 
the  opportunity  to  keep  up  something  like  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  my  wife  and  child.  These  con- 
siderations, together  with  an  inviting  field  of  labor, 
decided  me  to  accept  the  offer. 


268  TEN    YEARS    OF    PKEACHEK-LIFE  |     OK, 

As  we  drew  near  the  end  of  a  pleasant  steamboat 
sail  of  four  hundred  miles  from  Mobile,  a  company 
of  passengers  were  seated  on  the  boiler  deck,  enjoy- 
ing the  scenery  of  the  beautiful  Alabama.  The  boat 
swept  around  a  bend  of  the  river,  disclosing  the 
noble  amphitheatre  of  hills  On  which  Montgomery  is 
built ;  a  fine  State-House  stands  on  the  left,  and 
stretching  away  to  the  right,  every  eminence  is  crown- 
ed with  handsome  residences,  surrounded  by  gardens 
and  forest  trees,  forming  an  exquisite  landscape. 
But  our  quiet  enjoyment  was  suddenly  broken  upon 
by  peals  of  laughter.  The  pilot,  who  had  kept  his 
steam-whistle  for  some  time  silent,  sounded  an  un- 
earthly scream,  loud,  long  and  piercing,  from  this 
favorite  instrument.  A  distinguished  foreign  vocal- 
ist who  had  been  seated  with  us,  sprang  to  his  feet, 
upsetting  his  chair  as  he  did  so,  and  fled  with 
precipitation  to  the  ladies'  cabin,  shouting  as  he 
went,  at  the  top  of  his  well-trained  voice,  "  The 
boiler  is  bursted,  we're  all  blown  up !  The  Lord 
have  mercy  on  my  soul  [" 

Before  taking  leave  of  a  section  of  my  life  devoted 
almost  entirely  to  wandering,  and  entering  upon  one 
of  comparative  quiet  and  seclusion,  it  may  be  well 
for  me  to  answer  a  query  which  I  feel  sure  has  risen 
more  than  once  in  the  reader's  mind.  "How  did 
you  manage  to  travel  alone  ?" 

In  common  with  all  boys  in  this  country,  I  had 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      269 

rejoiced  from  early  youth  in  stories  of  Indian  and 
frontier  life.  What  especially  delighted  me  were  the 
records  of  practised  senses,  sleepless  vigilance,  alert 
comprehensive  observation,  resources  equal  to  any- 
emergency,  and  in  the  midst  of  difficulty  and  peril, 
an  unshaken  self-reliance.  Tales  of  the  same  pur- 
port floated  from  the  desert  of  the  Bedouin ;  I  care- 
fully read  all  books  within  reach  which  told  of  strug- 
gles with  privation  and  hardship,  especially  the  lives 
of  men  who  had  suffered  from  blindness.  Edgar  A. 
Poe's  wonderful  stories  produced  a  profound  impres- 
sion on  my  boyish  fancy ;  not  so  much  by  their  ghast- 
ly horrors  as  by  their  power  of  analysis.  I  therefore 
set  to  work  to  educate  my  senses,  thinking  that  if 
an  Arab,  an  Indian,  or  a  half-savage  backwoods- 
man, could  bring  his  perceptions  to  such  precision, 
keenness,  and  delicacy,  why  might  not  I  ?  It  became 
a  matter  of  pride  to  conceal  my  defective  vision,  to 
make  up  for  the  want  of  eyesight  by  the  superior 
activity  of  the  other  faculties.  The  foot  became 
almost  as  delicate  as  the  hand,  and  the  cheek  well- 
nigh  as  sensitive  to  atmospheric  impressions  as  the 
ear  is  to  acoustic  vibrations.  By  reason  of  the  diffi- 
culties which  encompassed  it,  travelling  became  an 
art,  involving  in  its  practice  many  elements  of 
science.  If  I  preserved  the  air  and  seeming  of  a  man 
with  two  good  eyes,  my  step  had  to  be  as  cautious 
and  well-considered  as  an  Indian's  on  the  war-path, 


270  TEN   TEAES    OF   PEE  ACKER-LIFE  \     OK, 

and  my  dislike  of  being  recognized  by  strangers,  aa 
partially  blind,  was  almost  as  great  as  Lis  dread  of 
detection  by  an  enemy.  Self-dependence  delighted 
in  obstacles.  There  was  a  pleasure  in  scouring 
strange  regions  alone,  and  although  I  have  often 
had  my  face  severely  cnt  by  thorny  branches  while 
riding  through  the  woods,  and  was  frequently  ob- 
liged to  hold  my  right  hand  in  front  of  my  face, 
the  elbow  extended  to  the  right  and  the  riding 
whip  to  the  left,  for  hours  together,  as  a  protection 
to  the  upper  part  of  the  person ;  fatigue  and  wounds 
were  alike  accepted-  as  a  part  of  the  salutary  dis- 
cipline. Boarding  a  steamer  in  the  middle  of  the 
river,  after  night,  by  means  of  a  yawl,  after  having 
descended  a  steep,  slippery  bank,  with  no  assistance 
but  from  a  cane,  gave  me  quiet  satisfaction.  To 
roam  about  a  strange  city,  and  make  myself  master 
of  its  sidewalks,  gutters  and  crossings,  and  become 
familiar  with  all  its  localities,  thus  qualifying  myself 
to  become  a  guide  to  others,  was  a  favorite  pastime. 
There  was  hardly  a  large  town  of  the  country  in  which 
I  did  not  know  the  shortest  way  between  any  two 
given  points.  Self-conceit  was  gratified  when  on 
being  introduced  to  people  who  had  heard  of  me, 
they  exclaimed,  "  Why,  I  thought  you  could  not  see 
very  well !"  Mere  walking  was  an  intellectual  exer- 
cise, and  the  mind  found  constant  amusement  in 
solving  the  physical  problems  which  were  ever  de 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  271 

manding  instant  settlement ;  as,  for  example,  given  the 
sound  of  a  footfall,  to  find  the  nature  and  distance  of 
the  object  from  which  it  is  reverberated  ;  or  the  space 
betwixt  yourself  and  the  gutter  you  are  approaching  ; 
or,  amid  the  Babel  of  a  crowded  thoroughfare,  to 
ascertain  by  your  ear  when  it  will  be  safe  for  you 
to  cross,  and  how  long  a  time  the  rush  of  hurrying 
vehicles  will  allow  you. 

Many  a  man  has  found  to  his  cost  that  necessity  is  a 
stern  old  pedagogue,  intolerant  of  dullness  and  negli- 
gence, administering  severe  buffets  to  the  slothful 
and  the  incorrigible.  I  bear  about  on  my  body  many 
a  mark  of  his  heavy  rod.  My  forehead  still  carries 
the  trace  of  an  iron  pillar,  standing  at  the  corner  of 
Gravier  and  St.  Charles  streets,  in  New  Orleans, 
which  laid  me  senseless  on  the  sidewalk,  for  stupidly 
rushing  against  it,  to  avoid  being  run  over  by  a 
drunken  driver,  the  first  night  I  spent  in  the  Crescent 
City.  My  nose  carries  the  remembrance  of  a  huge 
ladder  which  careless  workmen  had  allowed  to  re- 
main standing  over  night  across  the  pavement  in  St. 
Francis  street,  Mobile.  An  occasional  twinge  in  my 
neck  serves  to  remind  me  of  a  dive  which  I  once 
made  head  foremost  over  an  embankment  into  a 
trench  ten  feet  deep,  in  Decatur  street,  Boston.  I 
found  it  impossible  to  run  away  from  my  old  precep- 
tor, and  thus,  while  almost  every  part  of  my  person 
bears  tokens  of  nearly  every  section   of  our   wide- 


272  TEN   YEAES   OF   PEEACHEE-LIFE  |     OE, 

spread  country,  an  enumeration  of  which  might 
almost  form  a  chronicle  of  my  journey,  they  serve  to 
remind  me  that  the  one  lesson  which  my  school- 
master tried  to  teach  me  was,  "  Keep  your  wits 
about  you." 

I  am  sorry  to  confess,  however,  that  I  have  sadly  de- 
generated since  the  period  which  the  narrative  has 
now  reached,  namely,  March,  1 S4S.  Wife,  children, 
and  an  increasing  number  of  friends,  have  combined 
to  render  me  less  self-helpful,  and  I  am  afraid  that  I 
should  cut  a  sorry  figure  enough  if  I  were  now  turned 
out  into  the  Rocky  Mountains,  or  on  the  western 
prairies  and  forced  to  shift  for  myself.  Loneliness  is 
tha.  condition  of  self-reliance.  Society  weakens  the 
instincts  and  the  senses.  Love  softens  while  it  blesses. 
The  eagle's  eye  and  wing  are  not  found  in  the  dove- 
cot. Home  enlarges  the  sphere  of  the  sympathies, 
but  limits  the  arena  of  self-trust.  I  have  relinquished 
my  pride  about  dependence,  exchanged  the  delicacy 
of  hand,  foot,  ear,  and  cheek,  for  the  offices  of  those 
who  love  me,  and  move  about  the  streets  with  scarce 
a  pause  to  regret  my  privation,  when  my  hand  clasps 
the  hand  of  either  of  my  children,  who  are  as  watch- 
ful and  tender  toward  me  as  if  they  were  parent  and 
I  the  child. 

Once  I  would  have  scorned  as  unworthy  my  man- 
hood any  assistance  in  travelling  unnecessary  to  a 
man  complete  in  all  his  organs ;  later  years,  while 


CHAPTEKS    FEOM   AN   AUTOEIOGIiATIIT.  273 

relaxing  this  tension  of  the  perceptive  faculties,  have 
shown  me  how  full  of  genial  sterling  kindness  is  our 
human  nature.  I  have  rarely  had  occasion  to  appeal 
to  a  fellow-creature  for  aid  without  a  prompt  and 
hearty  response.  Only  twice  or  three  times  have  I 
ever  been  refused  the  help  I  asked,  and  only  once 
have  I  been  meanly  imposed  upon.  A  single  day's 
journey  in  Ohio  taught  me  more  of  such  littleness 
than  I  had  learned  in  all  my  life  besides.  It  chanced 
that  I  reached  Columbus  from  Cleveland,  too  late 
for  the  train  for  Cincinnati,  so  that  I  was  obliged  to 
lie  over  for  several  hours.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening  we  left  the  door  of  jSTeil  House  in  an  omni- 
bus for  the  railway  station.  The  fare  was  a  shilling, 
and  as  I  handed  the  conductor  a  quarter  of  a  dollar 
I  said,  "  I  don't  see  very  well ;  won't  you  be  good 
enough  to  assist  me  from  the  stage  to  the  cars."  In 
returning  the  change,  he  gave  me  a  five  and  a  three 
cent  piece  and  two  pennies.  I  said,  supposing  it  a 
mistake,  "  Do  you  know  that  you  have  only  given 
me  ten  cents  when  I  am  entitled  to  twelve  ?" 

"  Look  here,"  he  replied,  "  I  thought  you  said  you 
could  not  see,"  forgetting  that  a  man  can  tell  money 
as  well  by  his  fingers  as  his  eyes.  After  the  other  pas- 
sengers had  entered  the  depot,  I  said  to  the  worthy 
who  was  amusing  himself  by  patting  Juba  upon  his 
knees: 

"  Will  yon  give  me  your  arm  to  the  train  ?" 

12* 


274  TEN    YEARS    OF   PKEACflER-LIFE  J      OK, 

"  I'll  be  darn'd  if  I  do,"  lie  rejoined.  "  If  you  can 
tell  a  three  cent  piece  from  a  five,  you  can  find  your 
way  to  the  cars." 

After  some  trouble,  I  succeeded  in  gaining  a  seat, 
and  soon  discovered  that  I  had  a  crowd  of  gamblers 
for  fellow-passengers,  who  amused  themselves  with 
poker,  seven-lip  and  brag,  throughout  the  jour- 
ney. They  partook  largely  of  red-eye  whisky, 
with  which  they  were  bountifully  supplied,  and  a 
more  profane,  clamorous  crew  of  blackguards  I  have 
never  met.  As  the  conductor  passed  through  the 
train,  I  informed  him  of  my  condition,  and  asked  if 
it  would  be  convenient  for  him  to  assist  me  to  a  car- 
riage at  the  end  of  the  journey.  He  was  too  much 
absorbed  in  the  players  and  their  cards  to  heed  my 
request.  Presently  the  agent  for  the  omnibus  line 
came  along,  selling  tickets  which  would  entitle  the 
passengers  to  a  ride  from  the  depot  to  his  hotel.  I 
asked  him  if  he  could  help  me  to  the  stage,  he  said 
he  would  see  about  it  when  we  got  to  town.  At  four 
a.m.,  we  reached  Cincinnati.  The  passengers  rushed 
from  the  train  and  I  could  discover  no  one  to  appeal 
to  but  a  brakeman.  He  replied  that  he  could  not 
leave  his  brake,  but  calling  a  person  whom  I  took  lo 
be  an  employee  of  the  company,  said,  "  Here's  a 
chap  what  seems  a  little  blind,  just  lead  him  to  the 
buss."  Taking  the  man's  arm  I  gave  him  my  car- 
pet-sack, and  as  we  reached  the  door  of  the  stage,  I 


CHAPTERS   FROM    AH    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  275 

paused  a  moment,  removing  my  hand  from  his  arm 
to  take  out  a  piece  of  money  to  reward  him,  and  said, 
"  Here  is  a  quarter  for  your  trouble."  There  was  no 
reply.  "  Where's  the  man  that  brought  me  here  a 
moment  ago  ?"  I  inquired  of  the  agent  who  stood  by. 

"  How  the  d do  you  suppose  I  know  !     If  you 

want  to  go  to  town,  jump  right  in,  we  won't  wait 
another  minute  for  you,  and: don't  be  trying  to  come 
the  d d  blind  humbug  over  us."  This  witty  ob- 
servation was  received  with  a  shout  of  laughter  by 
the  stage  full  of  passengers,  and  I  had  no  resort,  but 
minus  my  carpet-bag,  to  clamber  to  a  standing-place 
inside,  for  not  a  man  or  woman  offered  to  help  me  to 
a  seat,  and  thus  we  rattled  to  the  Burnet  House.  Do 
you  wonder  that  I  asked  myself  whether  I  had  reach- 
Cincinnati  or  Pandemonium  ? 

At  another  time,  I  was  en  route  from  Xew  York 
to  Charleston,  and  as  we  were  approaching  Balti- 
more, was  engaged  in  conversation  with  a  young 
man,  who  said  that  he  was  a  merchant  from  one  of 
the  towns  in  Carolina.  I  informed  him  of  my  con- 
dition and  suggested  that  as  I  was  an  experienced 
traveller,  we  might  form  an  agreeable  partnership  for 
a  day  or  two,  by  uniting  his  eyes  with  my  knowledge 
of  the  world.  He  agreed  rather  coldly,  but  as  avc 
were  obliged  to  hasten,  in  exchanging  cars  at  Balti- 
more, he  annulled  the  contract  by  running  off  precipi- 
tately, leaving  me  to  pick  myself  up  as  best  I  might 


276  TEN    YEARS    OF   l'REAUlIEK-LIFE  ;     OK, 

from  a  severe  fall,  received  in  jumping  for  the  platform. 
My  wife  and  I  interpreted  differently  the  doctrine  of 
total  depravity,  and  whenever  I  indulged  in  couleur  de 
rose  pictures  of  human  nature,  drawn  from  personal 
experience,  she  maintained  that  the  kindness  which  I 
had  invariably  received  was  rendered  not  to  human- 
ity, as  such,  hut  to  a  person  of  interesting  and  gentle- 
manly appearance.  Both  our  theories  seemed  at  fault 
for  once ;  I  supposed  that  my  young  Carolinian  was 
not  guilty  of  brutish  insensibility,  but  that  he  took 
me  for  a  land  shark  that  intended  to  devour  him  on 
the  first  occasion.  I  was  so  shocked  by  this,  the  first 
rebuff  I  had  ever  then  experienced,  that  I  could  not 
bring  myself  to  ask  guidance  of  any  of  my  other 
fellow-passengers,  notwithstanding  it  was  pitch  dark 
when  we  reached  the  wharf  at  Washington,  where 
lay  the  Potomac  boat.  The  night  was  bitterly  cold, 
there  were  no  waiters  at  the  pier,  my  comrades  used 
great  expedition  in  gaining  the  cabin,  and  I  was  soon 
left  alone,  to  feel  my  way  on  board.  As  I  went  stag- 
gering along,  I  j)resently  felt  a  strong  hand  laid  upon 
my  shoulder  and  a  friendly  Irish  voice  said  :  "  Come, 
my  darlint,  what  are  you  going  to  throw  yourself 
into  the  dock  for?  I  see  how  it  is,  you've  been  taking 
a  dhrop  too  much,  and  you're  not  fit  to  be  parading 
about  alone.  Come  wid  mo,  I've  a  carriage  here,  I'll 
drive  you  up  to  a  hotel  and  have  you  put  to  bed,  and 
in  the  morning  you'll  be  all  right."     I  thus  found  I 


C1IAITEJK8   EBQM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  277 

had  gained  the  side  instead  of  the  end  of  tlie  pier,  and 
a  step  or  two  further  would  have  given  me  a  cold  bath. 
I  replied,   "  jSTo  my  friend.  I  am  not  drunk,  but  I  am 
nearly  blind  ;  won't  you  give  me  your  arm  to  the 
cabin  of  the  boat."      "  Bless  your  dear  little  soul," 
exclaimed  the   hearty  fellow,  in  a  voice  tremulous 
with  emotion,  "is  that  what's  the  matter? 'what  did 
them  brutes  leave  you  here  by  yourself  for  ?  Give  ye 
my  arm,  is  it?     I'll  take  ye  in  my  arms  if  it  will  suit 
ye  better,"  and  lifting  rather  than  leading  me,  he 
soon  deposited  me  in  the  bright  warm  cabin,  as  ten- 
derly as  a  mother    would   have    placed    her  babe. 
"  Look  here,"  he  almost  shouted  to  one  of  the  colored 
waiters  :  "  Here's  a  gentleman  that  can't  see  ;  if  ye 
don't  take  the  best  of  care  of  him  ;  when  the  boat 
comes  back,  I'll  break  your  head,  or  my  name  is  not 
Patrick  O'Donahue."      Extending  my  hand  with  a 
piece  of  money,  I  said  :  "  I  am  much  obliged  to  you, 
here  is  something  for  your  trouble."      "  Something 
for  my  throuble,  indade,"  he  almost  indignantly  ex- 
claimed, "  Divel  a  bit  of  it  will  I  take ;  do  you're  think 
I'd  take  money  for  helping  a  blind  man  ?     My  old 
mother  wouldn't  spake  to  me,  if  she  thought  I  would. 
God  bless  you,  sir,"  he  added,  wringing  my  hand, 
%i  may  the  Yargin  and  Saints  prasarve  ye."  I  like  to  be- 
lieve that  human  nature  is  represented  by  the  kindness 
of  the  Irish  hackman,  and  that  the  Carolina  merchant 
is  a  rare  exception  in  his  own  or  any  other  country. 


278  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  1     OR, 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  SOUTHERN   nOJiE — HARD    STUDY — CHAUNCEY  HOBART — 
THOMAS    CARLYLE. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  iu  Montgomery,  I  was 
joined  by  my  wife,  with  our  little  daughter  Fanny ; 
and  our  kind-hearted  parishioners  soon  made  us  feel 
as  much  at  home  as  if  we  had  been  born  and  bred  in 
the  "Sunny  South."  The  Sunny  South  indeed  I  have 
ever  found  it,  full  of  generous,  noble  people,  inde- 
pendent in  thought  and  speech,  tolerant  of  the 
opinions  of  others,  as  they  are  bold  in  the  avowal 
of  their  own.  I  went  among  them  a  Northern  man 
and  comparatively  a  stranger ;  yet  no  questions  were 
ever  asked  as  to  my  views  of  "the  peculiar  institu- 
tion," no  pledges  in  regard  to  my  conduct  were  either 
desired  or  given.  I  was  taken  at  once  to  the  homes 
and  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  during  the  six 
years  of  my  sojourn  in  that  land,  I  experienced 
nothing  but  kindness.  Years  have  passed  since  I 
quitted  it,  not  by  my  own  wish,  but  sorely  against  my 
will,  for  Providence  had  said,  Arise  and  go  hence,  for 
this  is  not  thy  rest ;  yet  my  feelings  instinctively  turn 
toward  Alabama  as  a  home,  and  toward  the  Southern 
people  as  my  kindred. 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      279 

In  due  time  we  were  established  in  the  parsonage, 
which  stood  in  the  rear  of  the  church,  and  frequently, 
during  our  residence  in  Montgomery,  I  did  not  quit 
the  premises  for  weeks  together.  The  opportunity  to 
study,  so  long  postponed,  had  at  length  arrived,  and 
I  seized  it  with  a  mixture  of  desperation  and  delight. 
I  now  look  back  upon  those  two  years  with  a  feeling 
something  between  wonder  and  fright.  The  average 
time  bestowed  upon  my  intellectual  labor  was  eleven 
hours  per  diem,  it  sometimes  went  up  to  fifteen ;  my 
wife  has  many  a  time  read  to  me  sixteen  hours  out 
of  the  twenty-four ;  I  recollect  that  we  went  through 
the  first  two  volumes  of  Macaulay's  "  England "  at 
that  rate.  Nothing  came  amiss.  Newspapers,  re- 
views, history,  voyages,  travels,  poetry,  everything, 
but  especially  metaphysics.  It  was  clear  that  I  had 
been  born  to  comprehend  the  incomprehensible.  I 
greedily  devoured  the  New  York  Tribune  and  the 
National  Era,  the  Massachusetts  "  Quarterly "  and 
the  "  "Westminster,"  the  "  Essays  of  Emerson,"  "  The 
Reports  and  Addresses  of  Wendell  Phillips,"  "The 
Lectures  and  Sermons  of  Theodore  Parker."  It  was 
the  era  of  revolution.  The  millions  of  Europe, 
roused  by  the  tocsin  of  liberty,  February,  1848,  were 
demanding  their  rights  of  the  trembling  monarelis, 
and  the  mind  of  the  world  glowed  with  enthusiasm 
for  freedom.  While  the  peoples  on  the  other  side  of 
the  deep,  waged  valiant  war  for  civil  enfranchise- 


2S0  TKN    YKAKS    OF    PEEA( 'IIKK-LIFE  ;      OK, 

ment,  holding  life  cheap  if  only  honor  and  indepen- 
dence could  be  won ;  it  was  no  less  the  duty  of  those 
on  this  side  the  world,  to  free  themselves  from  the 
bondage  of  tradition ;  to  vindicate  the  claims  of  the 
present  against  the  tyrannical  despotism  of  the  past ; 
and  to  assert  the  indefeasible  claims  of  the  supreme 
private  soul.  Patriotic  armies  were  tearing  to  shreds 
the  fictions  of  kingcraft,  and  jubilant  nations  were 
exulting  in  their  new-found  "Liberty,  Equality,  and 
Fraternity."  The  heroic  Ego  must  also  acquit  itself 
of  its  sublime  trust,  and,  flinging  the  superstitions  of 
antiquity  to  the  winds,  established  in  the  impregnable 
citadel  of  consciousness,  owning  no  light  but  intuition, 
using  no  weapon  but  abstraction,  must  wage  puissant 
and  victorious  war,  unfurling  the  banner  of  ideal  per- 
fection. Divine  philosophy  was  the  panacea  for  the 
wounds  of  humanity,  and  whoso  would  befriend  his 
race  must  combine  the  lores  of  the  East  and  of  the 
"West,  must  become  the  disciple  at  once  of  Confucius 
and  of  Schelling,  and  must,  with  oj^en  ear,  attend  to 
the  utterances  of  all  the  oracles,  between  the  Chinese 
seer  and  the  German  Professor. 

Zoroaster  and  Aristotle,  Plato  and  Bruno,  Thomas 
Aquinas  and  Duns  Scotus,  Des  Cartes  and  Leibnitz, 
Kant  and  Fichte  were  honored  as  the  greater  lumi- 
naries of  my  firmament.  I  adopted  Germany  as  my 
Fatherland,  discarded  cigars,  smoked  a  meerschaum, 
talked  learnedly  about  Goethe,  and  became  a  thor- 


CHAPTERS    FEOM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  2S1 

ongh  Teuton  in  everything  but  lager-l)ier.  I  was 
disposed  to  believe  that,  excepting  Shakspeare  and 
one  or  two  other  writers  who  had  been  favorably 
noticed  by  the  German  critics,  the  English  language 
contained  very  little  worth  a  scholar's  regard — some 
of  my  illustrious  contemporaries,  of  course,  being 
regarded  as  "present  company.'1''  My  reading  in  Ger- 
man theology  began  with  Neander's  "  Life  of  Christ," 
and  I  was  not  long  in  reaching  Strauss's  "Life  of 
Jesus."  "  Theodore,  or  the  Skeptic's  Conversion,"  by 
De  TVette,  fell  in  my  way,  and  I  was  not  long  in  dis- 
covering his  Introduction  and  Commentaries.  Open- 
ness of  mind  is  the  divinest  gift  of  the  Oversoul,  while 
universality  of  inquiry  and  catholicity  of  taste  are 
the  invariable  attributes  of  the  true  critic  and  scholar. 
I  read  a  great  deal  about  High  Art,  and  thought  that 
I  understood  it.  I  undertook  Lessing,  and  in  fine, 
I  became  a  transcendentalist  of  the  supra-nebulous 
order.  And  yet  I  was  a  Methodist  preacher,  whose 
one  business  it  was,  or  should  have  been,  to  teach  the 
people  righteousness. 

My  many  books,  like  Dante's  one,  made  me  lean. 
I  restricted  myself  to  a  spare  regimen.  The  inteLect 
was  to  be  regnant,  the  appetite  to  be  controlled,  and 
the  spirit  to  become  all  in  all.  Eating  was  a  vulgar 
necessity  which  had  to  be  performed  in  common  with 
the  brutes  ;  therefore,  the  less  of  it  the  better,  the  true 
element  for  humanity  was  thought.     The  thinker  was 


2S2  TEN    YEAES    OF   PEEAC/IEE-LIFE  ;     OE, 

the  one  person  of  consequence  in  the  universe ;  all  else 
were  but  as  chaff,  -which  the  wind  might  blow  whither  it 
I.  I  was  a  philosophical  critic — or,  which  amounts 
tf  the  same  thing,  fancied  myself  one — in  sympathy 
With  the  Age,  armed  with  a  vocabulary  of  high-sound- 
ing words,  and  fortified  with  the  largest  candor.  "  Is 
not  Protestantism  the  emphasis  of  the  2U"ivate  judg- 
ment? Let  us  then  be  Protestants  and  cany  our 
work  to  a  logical  and  legitimate  extremity.  Reverence 
for  anything  but  myself  is  an  absurdity.  Sit  calmly 
upon  the  Olympian  summit  of  your  individuality, 
and  all  the  divinities,  major  and  minor,  will  hail  you 
as  their  peer.  Obey  the  law  of  your  being.  Sin, 
what  is  it  ?  An  incident  which  helps  to  higher  per- 
fection." I  was  as  severe,  as  my  candor  would  per- 
mit, upon  priestcraft  and  hollow  symbols,  and  waxed 
awfully  eloquent  upon  cant  and  shams,  but  I  was 
particularly  profound  when  I  reached  the  regions  of 
the  subjective  and  objective,  the  "me,"  and  the  "not 
me,"  and  no  doubt  Sir  "William  Hamilton  would  have 
been  charmed  could  he  have  listened  to  my  subtle 
distinctions  between  the  reason  and  the  understand- 
ing. I  possessed  vast  hermencntical  skill,  and  was 
able  to  distinguish  with  the  most  exquisite  accuracy 
between  those  parts  of  the  Hebrew  and  Christian 
scriptures  which  were  authentic,  and  those  which 
were  supposititious.  I  could  indicate  to  you  with  the 
greatest  nicety  those  parts  of  the  Pentateuch  which 


CHATTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.     283 

Moses  had  composed,  and  those  which  he  had  copied 
from  elder  historians  and  lawgivers.  I  had  great 
respect  for  the  poetry  of  David,  Job,  and  Isaiah  ;  not- 
withstanding they  might  suffer  somewhat  by  com- 
parison with  the  Iliad,  the  Sagas  of  the  Norsemen, 
and  the  Yedas  of  the  Hindoos.  There  was  one  fact 
however  that  always  stood  in  my  way — the  person 
and  work  of  the  Redeemer  of  the  World.  My 
powers  of  scientific  analysis  were  never  competent  to 
dispose  of  that;  true,  I  read  Strauss  and  was  fami- 
liar with  the  rules  of  exegetieal  criticism  adopted  by 
the  Tubingen  school,  and  I  did  venture  to  speculate 
somewhat  upon  the  sacred  and  awful  mystery,  but  I 
had  to  give  it  up.  I  suppose  this  must  have  been  the 
result  of  weakness  and  superstition  acquired  from 
my  mother  and  some  of  my  other  early  frieeds ; 
they  were  very  plain  people  and  did  not  know  a 
thousandth  part  as  much  as  myself  and  some  of  my 
latei  friends.  Really,  I  fancy  they  must  have  been 
so  ignorant  as  never  to  have  heard  of  Baur  and  Zel- 
ler,  and  perhaps  it  went  so  far  that  they  even  did 
not  know  Goethe,  that  demi-god  of  the  modern  world. 
Yet  1  had  seen  them  in  the  furnace  of  affliction  heated 
seven  times  over,  and  there  had  walked  with  them 
one  as  it  had  been  the  Son  of  Man  ;  and  they  came 
forth  without  the  smell  of  fire  upon  their  garment-. 
I  saw  that  by  a  simple  faith  of  the  heart  in  their 
dying  and  risen  Lord,  their  passions  were  schooled, 


'2SJ.  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE ;     OR, 

their  tempers  softened,  their  hope  animated,  so  that 
the j  were  like  citizens  of  a  better  country — of  a  hea- 
venly rather  than  of  this  lower  world.  I  knew  that, 
to  them,  Jesus  Christ  was  a  merciful  and  faithful 
high-priest,  and  at  the  same  time,  the  nearest,  dearest 
and  most  intimate  of  friends.  I  had  been  educated 
from  infancy  to  hallow  His  name — to  revere,  love, 
and  worship  Him.  I  had  been  taught  to  look  upon 
Him  as  a  Comforter  full  of  grace,  truth  and  tender- 
ness, from  whom,  and  from  whom  alone,  through  the 
Father,  I  might  receive  mercy  in  time  of  need. 

Despite  the  spirit  of  free  inquiry,  I  was  held  fast 
by  the  feelings  of  earlier  years.  Prayers  learned 
when  a  child — views  informed  from  the  heart  and 
vital  with  its  blood,  rather  than  those  statuesque 
idioms  of  thought  chiselled  by  the  pure  intellect — 
had  become  a  part  of  me,  and  I  could  not  en- 
tirely free  myself  from  their  authority.  As  I  sat  in 
my  study,  communing  with  my  oracles,  bracing  my- 
self with  their  utterance  for  the  sharp  contest  with 
prejudice  and  puerile  misconception,  a  burst  of 
triumphant  song  from  my  negro  congregation  would, 
at  least  for  a  moment,  disarm  the  metaphysician  of 
his  power  and  bring  back  the  childish  weakness  of 
tears.  I  was  keenly  alive  to  the  discrepancy  between 
the  profession  and  practice  of  Christians.  I  was 
pained  by  the  apparent  absence  of  high  ethical  "char- 
acter,  at  once  rehned  and  stalwart,  which  one  is  justi- 


CHAPTERS  FKOM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      285 

lied  to  expect  in  the  disciples  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 
I  was  morbidly  sensitive  to  the  frailties  and  infirmi- 
ties of  my  brethren,  and  asked,  if  Christianity  be  in- 
deed the  spiritual  and  divine  power  which  it  is  said 
to  be,  why  are  not  the  lives  and  characters  of  its  pro- 
fessors spiritual  and  divine?  I  demanded  of  the 
church  an  ideal  perfection,  and  shrunk  back  from  ii 
because  it  presented  me  flesh  and  blood.  I  was  out 
of  sympathy  with  my  people.  It  was  painful  for  me 
to  visit  them  or  receive  their  visits ;  they  were  in- 
terested in  houses  and  lands,  in  buying,  selling  and 
getting  gain,  in  betrothals  and  weddings,  in  christen- 
ings and  funerals.  They  talked  about  the  weather 
and  crops,  politics  and  the  price  of  cotton,  the  size 
of  the  congregations  that  attended  my  ministry,  and 
revivals  of  religion  that  were  occurring  in  the  con- 
ference. I  was  not  interested  in  those  things.  I 
was  clothed  upon  with  Theological  Methodology  and 
encircled  in  the  sinuous  coil  of  the  Mythical  Theory. 
None  of  my  people  cared  for  Spinoza  or  Berkeley ; 
how,  then,  could  I  care  for  my  people?  They  were 
hospitable  and  kind  as  they  could  be,  doing  every- 
thing possible  to  promote  the  comfort  and  happiness 
of  myself  and  family,  yet  they  were  not  baptized  with 
my  "  baphometic  fire-baptism."  My  aesthetic  judg 
ment  could  not  elect  them  my  peers,  and  it  was 
impossible  that  we  should  have  lot  and  part  to- 
gether.     The  kindred  of  the  soul   alone  must  be 


2S6  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  J      OE, 

recognized ;  the  tongue  and  ear  are  each  other's 
complement.  Most  of  what  I  spoke,  my  parishion- 
ers did  not  comprehend;  most  of  what  they  said, 
I  did  not  appreciate ;  therefore  it  was  clear  that 
God  had  not  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  to  dwell 
together  upon  the  earth.  They  were  of  pipe  clay 
and  I  of  alabaster.  Sympathy  with  any  but  those  of 
your  own  kind  is  of  course  impossible.  I  lived  in  a 
world  of  ethereal  abstraction.  They  plodded  in  a 
region  of  sublunary  cares  and  anxieties,  where  almost 
their  only  lights  were  the  fires  blazing  on  the  house- 
hold hearth,  and  the  lamp  which  glows  upon  the 
altar  of  religion.  Our  relations  were  antipodal,  our 
planes  infinitely  removed.  I  claimed  fellowship  with 
Homer,  Dante  and  Shakspeare,  and  became  great 
by  talking  about  their  greatness.  I  studied  books 
on  architecture,  painting  and  music,  and  dilated 
much  upon  aesthetics  and  the  dynamic  forces  of  the 
divine  idea  which  reproduced  themselves  in  the 
terrestrial  forms  of  art.  My  poor  parishioners  loved 
their  wives  and  children,  their  neighbors  and  friends, 
horses  and  cattle  with  a  hearty  and  homely  love, 
and  thus  our  spheres  were  wide  apart  as  the 
planets.  Alas!  alas!  for  the  blatant,  the  worse  than 
Pharisaic  egotism  of  transcendental  shallowness  and 
sophistry.  All  this  while,  I  thought  myself  an  ideal- 
ist, and  folded  the  mantle  of  my  superiority  about 
me  as  I  1  :>oked  with  ineffable  indifference  upon  the 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN    AUTOBxOGRAPHY.  287 

mundane  cares  and  joys  of  society  ;  yet  was  I  nothing 
better  than  a  babbling  fool,  deluded  with  self-conceit 
and  intoxicated  with  weak  tea,  made  by  steeping  the 
leaves  of  a  so-called  oecumenical  philosophy  in  the 
liquid  of  a  high-sounding  and  oracular  vocabulary. 
One  comfort  grows  out  of  this  "  Phase  of  Faith  "(?) 
to  wit :  "  the  burnt  child  dreads  the  fire." 

"When  my  appointment  to  the  Winchester  Circuit 
was  announced  by  Bishop  Andrew  in  the  autumn  of 
1843,  he  at  the  same  time  read  out  the  name  of 
Chauncey  Ilobart,  as  preacher  in  charge  of  Jackson- 
ville, the  town  in  which  my  father  lived. 

I  have  before  spoken  of  the  stronger  than  Masonic 
bond  uniting  Methodist  preachers,  especially  those 
living  in  the  newer  regions  of  the  country,  whose 
lives  are  exposed  to  privation  and  hardship.  As  I 
was  accustomed  to  spend  the  few  "rest  days"  which 
each  round  of  the  circuit  allowed  me  under  my 
father's  roof,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  an 
affectionate  intimacy  quickly  sprang  up  between 
Chauncey  and  myself,  notwithstanding  he  was  a 
dozen  years  my  senior.  Nearly  all  the  waking  hours 
of  my  visits  at  home,  we  spent  together,  and  almost 
every  month  he  would  pass  several  days  with  me  on 
my  circuit, ';  taking  a  through,"  as  it  was  called, 
wherein  we  preached  and  exhorted  time  about. 

Chauncey  was  born  in  Vermont,  but  removed  when 
a  child,  with  his  father,  to  the  "Military  Tract  "  lying 


288      TEN  TEARS  OF  PREACHER-LIFE  I  OR 


between  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Hivers,  "while  this 
was  yet  almost  an  Indian  country.  Here  he  grew  up 
a  backwoods  farmer,  his  only  opportunity  to  get  "a 
schooling  "  being  an  occasional "  quarter"  in  the  winter 
time.  He  was  converted  under  the  ministry  of  some 
of  our  pioneer  preachers;  joined  the  church,  and 
soon  became  an  itinerant.  He  was  tall  and  large- 
limbed,  with  a  noble  head,  fronted  by  a  magnificent 
forehead,  and  a  face  beaming  at  once  with  intelli- 
gence and  kindness.  One  day,  finding  his  boots  in  a 
leaky  condition,  he  stopped  at  the  shop  of  a  frontier 
cobbler  to  get  them  repaired.  While  the  son  of  Cris- 
pin was  at  work  with  awl  and  hammer,  another  per- 
son entered,  who  gazing  with  fixed  attention  at  the 
pedal  extremities  of  my  friend,  exclaimed,  with 
mingled  astonishment  and  admiration  : 

"  "Well,  I  never !    Stranger,  I  resign  in  yonr  favor." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  the  pro-tempore  bootless 
divine  ;  "  I  don't  comprehend  you." 

"Howsomdever  notwithstanding,"  replied  the 
other,  "I  resign  to  you.  You  see,  I  have  always 
been  called  President  of  the  Track  Society  in  these 
parts,  because  the  people  said  my  feet  was  as  large  as 
good-sized  spades ;  but  I  give  in,  for  I  swear  I  never 
see  a  man  of  such  powerful  understanding  as  you." 

I  mention  this  incident  to  illustrate  at  once  the 
genial  temper  of  my  friend,  for  no  man  could  more 
keenly  appreciate  the  joke,  and  the  well  developed 


CHAPTERS    FBOM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  289 

size  of  his  physique.  Within  the  bounds  of  one  of  his 
first  circuits  was  a  little  village,  into  which  had  re- 
cently removed  some  people  of  the  better  class  from 
New  England.  As  he  walked  forth  once  at  eventide 
to  meditate,  on  the  edge  of  the  settlement,  his  car  was 
caught  by  a  concord  of  sweet  sounds,  borne  upon  the 
breeze.  He  stopped  to  listen,  and  exclaimed  with 
rapture  :  "  Was  ever  such  a  set  of  sheep-bells  heard  !" 
lie  was  listening  to  a  pianoforte  for  the  first  time. 
A  genuine  child  of  the  woods,  he  was  truly  a  great 
man.  Quick  of  observation,  with  a  judgment  calm 
and  trustworthy  ;  a  courage  characterized  no  less  by 
modesty  than  intrepidity,  a  disposition  frank  and 
fearless,  as  it  was  generous,  and  a  soul  that  felt  the 
things  invisible  and  eternal  as  if  they  had  been 
tangible  and  palpable.  He  was  one  of  the  noblest 
men  I  have  ever  known.  lie  had  wrought  faithfully, 
exercising  the  gift  that  was  in  him  to  approve  him- 
self a  workman  that  needed  not  to  be  ashamed.  By 
dint  of  indefatigable  industry,  he  had  gained  not  a 
little  knowledge  from  books,  which  was  seasoned  to 
use  by  common  sense  and  experience.  All  that  he 
had  was  at  the  service  of  his  friends,  especially  at 
mine,  for  I  became  to  him  as  a  son  in  the  Gospel. 
He  has  ever  loved  the  frontier,  where  the  work 
was  hardest,  while  the  fare  and  pay  are  poorest. 
With  gifts  and  graces  that  would  render  him  eminent 
in  a  metropolitan   pnlpit,  he  has  chosen  to   fo 

13 


290  TEN   TEAKS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OK, 

case  and  wealth  and  fume,  that  lie  might  be  among 
the  foremost  to  preach  the  glad  tidings  in  the  cabins 
of  the  wilderness.  There  was  nothing  morose  or 
gloomy  in  his  piety,  for  he  was  ever  the  most  cheer- 
ful of  companions ;  having  learned,  in  whatever  situa- 
tion he  was,  therewith  to  be  content.  He  was 
healthful  in  mind  and  body,  and  his  soul  was  buoy- 
ant as  a  lark.  It  would  have  made  all  the  blood  in 
your  body  tingle  to  hear  him  shout,  "  Glory  to  God 
for  the  hope  of  everlasting  life."  The  judgment-seat 
of  Christ,  Heaven  and  Hell,  were  not  to  him 
metaphors  or  myths ;  but  awful  realities,  in  whose 
light  he  walked  by  day  and  night.  Self-depreciation 
was  almost  the  only  fault  I  ever  detected  in  him. 
But  his  trust  in  the  living  God  was  invincible,  and 
he  seemed  to  enjoy  the  full  assurance  of  faith.  He 
was  a  thorough  Methodist ;  and  surely  John  "Wesley 
never  had  a  more  worthy  disciple.  He  believed  the 
doctrines  and  obeyed  the  discipline  of  the  church, 
from  love  of  them.  He  revered  the  memory  of  the 
founder,  honored  his  institutions,  and  fulfilled  the 
duties  of  his  place  with  unquestioning  submission. 
His  zeal  was  unquenchable ;  and  his  one  hope  was, 
that  he  might  have  souls  for  his  hire,  and  at  last  hear 
the  Master  say,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  ser- 
vant." 

Such  was  the  man  who  blessed  the  early  years  of 
my  ministerial  life  with  his  confidence   and   aftec- 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  291 

tion;  and  never  did  David  love  Jonathan  more 
warmly  than  1  loved  Chauncey  Hob  art.  David  owed 
Jonathan  less,  and  I  feel  pretty  sure  that  he  was 
my  "  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend."  From  him  I 
received  the  first  satisfactory  instruction  in  the  art 
of  preaching ;  and  I  often  said  to  him  that  if  I  ever 
became  a  preacher  I  would  give  him  the  credit  due 
to  his  unfailing  kindness.  I  sketch  my  friend  not 
only  as  a  grateful  duty,  thus  recording  some  of  the 
virtues  of  a  man  to  whom  I  am  under  weighty  and 
profound  obligations,  but  as  a  representative  of  the 
best  class  of  Methodist  preachers,  many  of  whom  it 
has  been  my  happiness  to  call  friends.  When  I  state, 
therefore,  that  I  have  been  reared  under  the  influences 
of  such  men,  nurtured  in  their  views,  and  habituated 
for  years  to  an  implicit  acceptance  of  their  doctrinal 
opinions,  it  can  easily  be  seen  from  the  first  part  of 
this  chapter  how  far  I  had  wandered  from  the  paths 
of  my  youth. 

Ah !  Thomas  Carlyle,  you  have  much  to  answer 
for,  in  sending  adrift  uj^on  the  fog  banks,  such  raw 
and  inexperienced  boys  as  I 'was  when  your  mighty 
genius  found  me  out.  Many  a  day  of  miserable 
doubt,  and  night  of  morbid  wretchedness  have  you 
caused  me.  Yet  for  all  that,  I  owe  you  more  and 
love  you  better  than  any  author  of  the  time.  "  Sar- 
tor Eesartus"  first  fell  in  my  way  while  I  was  living 
in  Washington,  and  I  much  question  if   Christopher 


292  TEN   YEAKS   OF   PEEACIIER-LIFE ;    OK, 

Columbus  was  more  transported  by  the  discovery  of 
America,  than  I  was  in  entering  the  new  realm  which 
this  book  opened  to  me.  Everything  was  novel,  huge, 
grotesque,  or  sublime ;  I  must  have  read  it  twenty 
times  over  until  1  had  it  all  by  heart.  It  became  a 
sort  of  touch-stone  with  me.  If  a  man  had  read 
Sartor  and  enjoyed  it,  I  was  his  friend ;  if  not,  we 
were  strangers.  I  was  almost  as  absurd  as  a  Ken- 
tucky girl,  of  whom  it  is  stated,  that  on  a  gentle- 
man's introduction  to  her,  her  first  observation  inva- 
riably was,  "Have  you  read  Moore's  Melodies?"  I 
had  not  been  long  in  Montgomery  before  I  had  read 
every  word  that  Mr.  Carlyle  had  ever  published.  I 
was  as  familiar  with  the  everlasting  Nay,  the  Centre 
of  Indifference,  and  the  everlasting  Yea,  as  with  the 
side  walk  in  front  of  my  house.  From  Ilerr  Teufels- 
droeckh  I  took  the  Teutonic  fever,  which  came  nigh 
costing  me  so  dear.  It  became  incumbent  on  me  to 
read  what  he  had  read,  to  admire  what  he  admired, 
to  scout  what  he  scouted ;  I  was  a  hero  worshipper  of 
the  most  approved  sort,  and  hated  cant  and  Sir  Jabez 
"Windbag  with  due  intensity.  "What  a  witches'  dance 
I  had  of  it  through  those  years  ;  the  wizards  and 
Brockcn  never  had  a  wilder.  Mr.  Carlyle's  books 
had  much  the  same  power  over  me,  that  Mephisto- 
philes  exercised  over  Faust — I  at  least  might  have 
chanted  the  chorus  to  the  ignis-fatuus : 


CHATTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      293 

"  The  limits  of  the  sphere  of  dream, 

The  bounds  of  true  and  false  are  past ; 
Lead  me  on  thou  wandering  gleam, 

Lead  me  onward  far  and  fast, 
To  the  wide,  the  desert  waste. 
But  see  how  swift  advance  and  shift 
Trees  behind  trees,  row  by  row — 
How  cliff,  by  cliff,  rocks  bend  and  lift 
Their   frowning  foreheads  as  we  go, 
The  giant-snouted  crags — ho  ;  ho  ; 
flow  they  snort,  and  how  they  blow." 

Scarcely  less  appropriate,  as  descriptive  of  the  tumul- 
tuous state  of  my  mind  and  its  commotion,  which 
almost  threatened  at  times  to  end  in  hallucination, 
would  be  the  description  of  the  tempest,  in  Faust. 

"  A  cloud  thickens  the  night, 

Ilurk  !  how  the  tempest  crashes  through  the  forest; 
The  owls  fly  out  in  strange  affright, 

The  columns  of  the  evergreen  palaces 
Are  split  and  shattered. 
The  roots  creak  and  stretch  and  groan, 
And  universally  overthrown ; 
The  trunks  are  crushed  and  shattered 
By  the  fierce  blast's  unconquerable  stress. 
Over  each  other  crack  and  crash  they  all 
In  terrible  and  intertangled  fall, 
And  through  the  ruins  of  the  shaken  mountain 

The  airs  hiss  and  howl — 
It  is  not  the  voice  of  the  fountain, 

Nor  the  wolf  in  his  midnight  prowl. 


294  TEN   YEARS   OF   rREACIIER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

Dost  tliou  not  hear? 

Strange  accents  are  ringing 
Aloft,  afar,  anear; 

The  witches  are  singing! 
The  torrents  of  a  raging  wizard's  song 
Streams  the  whole  mountain  along." 

A  remarkable  goblin  crew,  -was  that  to  which  my 
new  guide  had  introduced  me.  This  is  not  the  place 
to  attempt  a  critical  estimate  of  the  genius  of  Mr. 
Carlyle ;  jet  I  could  not  forbear  to  mention  one  who 
had.  so  much  to  do  with  my  life  and  character. 
Years  have  passed  since  he  led  me  forth  to  the  dance 
of  ghosts,  and  I  have  learned  to  read  him  with  a  less 
feverish  enthusiasm,  but  L  believe  with  a  more  gen- 
uine appreciation  of  his  rare  and  extraordinary 
powers.  lie  did  me  harm,  but  he  has  helped  me  to  far 
more  good.  With  all  his  defects,  to  me  he  stands 
first  among  the  men  of  this  generation.  Honor,  long 
life,  healili  and  peace  to  thee,  Thomas  Carlyle,  is  the 
message  which  a  friend  wafts  from  beyond  the  sea. 

About  a  year  and  a  half  after  my  removal  to 
Montgomery,  it  happened  that  I  was  invited  to  attend 
the  funeral  of  a  prominent  citizen.  A  discourse  was 
to  be  delivered  by  one  of  my  brother  ministers,  whose 
name  I  had  often  heard,  but  with  whom  I  had  no  ac- 
quaintance. He  belonged  to  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  between  which  and  our  own,  there  was  little 
or  no  intercourse.     Besides  performing  the  duties  as 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  295 

pastor  of  a  small  congregation,  lie  was  the  principal 
of  a  large  female  school.  I  had  heard  it  incidentally 
said  that  he  was  a  man  of  considerable  cleverness, 
and  withal  of  a  poetical  temperament.  Nothing, 
however,  that  I  had  heard  concernif^  him  had  ex- 
cited the  slightest  interest,  or  awakened  the  desire  to 
form  his  acquaintance.  I  therefore  entered  the 
church  to  attend  the  funeral  service  with  no  feeling 
save  that  of  sympathy  for  the  bereaved  family.  The 
minister  announced  his  text  and  in  a  rather  tremu- 
lous manner  proceeded  with  his  introduction.  The 
language  was  accurate,  the  style  chaste,  the  thought 
striking  and  profound.  Borrowed!  said  I  to  myself, 
and  no  credit  given ;  but  he  will  find  his  own  level 
presently.  The  critic  sat  intrenched  in  his  indif- 
ference, awaiting  the  catastrophe  which  must  termi- 
nate this  Icarian  flight.  But  the  catastrophe  did  not 
come,  and  the  critic  was  driven  out  of  his  strong 
position,  and  admiring  wonder  soon  gave  place  to 
tears  and  a  heart  suffused  with  the  glow  of  a  religious 
ei  nut  ion  such  as  had  not  been  experienced  for  many 
a  nn.nth.  As  I  left  the  church,  I  felt  that  I  had 
never  listened  to  so  wonderful  a  preacher,  and  I  think 
so  still,  after  having  heard  most  of  the  renowned  pul- 
pit orators  in  England  and  America.  It  was  as  if, 
upon  the  copious  diction,  the  calm,  elevated  philoso- 
phic thought  of  Channing,  had  been  ingrafted  the 
vital  energy  and  evangelical  fervor  of  John  "Wesley. 


296  TEN   YEARS   OF   PKEACHER-LIEE ;     OK, 

Yet  it  is  hard  to  say  wherein  his  special  power  lies; 
there  is  such  a  harmonious  "blending  of  gifts  and 
grace.  Allowance  must  Le  made  for  a  bad  voice,  the 
result  of  a  diseased  throat;  and  for  a  self-distrust 
which  amounts*to  the  shrinking  timidity  of  a  girl, 
llis  strength  is  in  the  tongue,  for  he  speaks  incom- 
parably better  than  he  writes — the  magnetism  of  a 
listener  is  essential  to  his  full  inspiration.  His  intel- 
lect is  athletic  as  it  is  subtile,  delicate  as  it  is  strong. 
But  for  me  the  charm  of  the  man  lay  in  his  genuine, 
unaffected  piety,  his  rich  experience  of  the  deep 
things  of  God.  In  him  reverence  was  profound  as 
the  source  of  life,  yet  without  the  slightest  shadow 
of  superstition.  Faith  seemed  to  have  wrought  its 
highest  results  in  his  character,  and  to  have  become 
the  evidence  of  things  not  seen,  the  substance  of 
things  hoped  for.  His  love  toward  God  and  man 
showed  itself  in  unfaltering  obedience  to  the  divine 
law,  and  in  a  tender  regard  for  his  fellow-beings, 
which  took  all  the  shapes  of  compassion,  forbearance, 
toleration,  courtesy,  sympathy,  benignity,  as  personal 
relations  required.  But  I  am  anticipating,  for  I  did 
not  come  to  all  this  knowledge  of  the  man  at  once. 
After  the  discourse  in  question,  I  inquired  of  a  num- 
ber of  persons  if  this  was  his  usual  style  of  preach- 
ing; for,  notwithstanding  that  my 'doubts  as  to  the 
genuineness  of  the  production  had  been  laid,  my  sur- 
prise  could    not  but  vent  itself   in  an   occasional 


CHAPTERS   FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  297 

query.  I  was  answered  that  lie  always  preached  as 
well,  and  usually  better.  Thereupon  I  fell  into  a 
great  disgust  toward  the  people  of  Montgomery ;  for 
they  did  not  appear  to  have  discovered  that  they 
had  one  of  the  greatest  living  preachers  among 
them.  As  I  lay  weltering  in  my  chaos,  it  looked 
as  if  God  had  sent  an  angel  to  succor  me.  I  there- 
fore went  to  him  at  once,  and  said,  "  If  thy  heart  is 
as  my  heart,  give  me  thy  hand."  From  that  time 
until  I  quitted  Montgomery,  a  part  of  almost  every 
day  was  spent  in  his  society.  Such  was  the  com- 
mencement of  my  acquaintance  with  Andrew  A. 
Lipscomb,  whose  influence  over  me,  together  with 
that  of  Chauncey  Ilobart  and  Thomas  Carlyle,  forms 
the  most  significant  and  important  chapter  of  my 
mental  history  during  these  ten  years. 

In  Mr.  Lipscomb  there  was  not  only  a  singular 
union  of  the  old  and  of  the  new,  the  learning  of  the 
schools  and  the  simplicity  of  the  Gospel,  but  also  of  me- 
taphysical acumen  with  spiritual  insight.  lie  seemed 
to  breathe  the  atmosphere  of  prayer,  and  yet  walked 
upon  the  firm  ground  of  reason.  His  religion  was  de- 
vout, but  without  an  accent  of  cant.*  His  sensibilities 
stood  him  in  the  stead  of  a  powerful  imagination, 
enabling  him  to  reproduce  most  perfectly  my  morbid 
consciousness,  and  thus  did  he  minister  to  a  mind 
diseased.  I  was  fond  of  quoting,  "  Do  the  duty  that 
is  nearest  thee ;  thy  next  duty  will  become  plainer  I" 

13* 


298  TEN   YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIEE  |     OR, 

But  that  nearest  duty,  alas,  which  is  it?  To  reach 
truth,  of  course.  But  truth,  what  is  it?  and  where? 
At  the  bottom  of  the  well  ?  I  had  very  nearly  broken 
my  neck  and  got  drowned  besides,  seeking  it  there. 
No.  Truth  is  in  your  home,  among  your  neighbors 
and  in  the  fellowship  of  the  church ;  and  clear  views 
of  it  can  be  acquired  more  easily  and  wisely  by 
carrying  the  heart  into  practical  life,  than  by  stretch- 
ing the  neck  and  straining  the  eyes  in  gazing  at  the 
milky  way,  or  at  its  reflection  in  a  mud-puddle. 
Eat  more,  sleep  more,  and  take  tea  with  your 
parishioners ;  romp  with  the  children,  talk  to  the 
negroes,  and  believe  that  a  man  should  read  to  live, 
not  live  to  read.  Go  fishing,  visit  the  sick,  and  be- 
come heartily  interested  in  the  poor  and  ignorant. 
Get  the  material  for  your  sermons  out  of  the  lives  of 
the  people,  rather  than  from  speculations  of  the 
sages.  Bead  John  Bunyan  for  his  English,  and  the 
Bible  not  only  for  its  English,  but  because  the  en- 
trance of  "  that  "Word  giveth  light :  it  giveth  under- 
standing to  the  simple."  Cultivate  the  charities  and 
sympathies  of  common  life ;  apply  yourself  to  the 
rhetoric  of  the  market-place ;  be  able  to  discuss  the 
making  of  bread  and  darning  of  stockings  with  the 
good  housewife,  and  relish  that  discussion  too. 
Above  all,  as  thou  hast  known  the  Scriptures  from  a 
child,  cultivate  a  deep  and  reverent  confidence  in  its 
holy  teachings.     "  Bemember  the  instructions  of  thy 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  299 

father  and  forsake  not  the  law  of  thy  mother,"  whose 
godly  counsels  nourish  the  highest  instincts  of  our 
being ; — 

"  Those  first  affections, 
Those  shadowy  recollections, 
Which,  be  they  what  they  may, 
Are  yet  the  fountain  light  of  all  our  day, 
Are  yet  a  master  light  of  all  our  seeing ; 

Uphold  us,  cherish,  and  have  power  to  make 
Our  noisy  years  seem  moments  in  the  being 
Of  the  eternal  Silence  :  truths  that  wake, 
To  perish  never ; 
Which  neither  listlcssness,  nor  mad  endeavor, 

Nor  Man,  nor  Boy, 
Nor  all  that  is  at  enmity  with  joy, 
Can  utterly  abolish  or  destroy!" 

It  is  a  difficult  thing  for  the  proud  intellect,  confi- 
dent of  its  own  resources,  to  appreciate  the  meaning 
of  that  prayer  of  our  Saviour's,  "I  thank  thee,  O 
Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  because  thou  hast 
hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast 
revealed  them  unto  babes.  Even  so,  Father ;  for  so 
it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight."  JSTor  is  it  easy  for  oracu- 
lar self-conceit,  to  credit  that  He  prescribed  the  one 
great  condition  of  Christian  discipleship  when  he 
took  a  little  child  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  his 
followers,  and  said :  "  "Wliosoever  will  not  receive  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven  as  a  little  child  shall  not  enter 
therein."     My  passage  through  Rationalism  was  not 


300  TEN   YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

easily  or  quickly  accomplished.  Two  years  after 
this  date,  I  was  arraigned  before  the  Alabama  Con- 
ference on  complaint  of  heresy,  but  with  no  acri- 
monious or  harsh  intent.  And  I  here  must  be  allowed 
to  bear  witness  to  the  uniform  consideration  and 
kindness  which  were  extended  to  me  by  my  brethren 
in  the  ministry.  They  treated  me  on  the  principle 
that  time  and  experience  would  work  the  best  cure, 
and  I  trust  they  have  had  no  cause  to  regret  their 
leniency.  I  have  heard  somewhere  in  the  rural  dis- 
tricts the  following  prescription  for  invalids:  "Let 
the  patient  go  to  the  '  bars '  at  milking  time  and 
stand  so  close  to  the  cows  that  they  can  breathe  in 
his  face."  I  cannot  tell  how  this  may  operate  in 
chronic  disorders  of  the  body,  but  I  know  that  a 
hearty  interest  in  homely  things  and  a  genuine  love 
of  the  common  people  are  the  best  cure  for  neology, 
the  chief  element  of  which  I  take  to  be  egotism,  and 
the  sublimest  manifestation  of  which  is  doubtless 
somewhat  dependent  on  dyspepsia,  neuralgia,  or  the 
liver  complaint.  "When  the  diagnosis  of  doubt  is 
fully  set  forth,  I  fancy  that  physiology  will  have  as 
much  to  do  with  it  as  psychology. 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  301 


CHAPTER  XX. 


ON    THE    ROAD    AGAIN. 


It  must  not  be  supposed  that  because  I  had 
taken  to  hard  study,  or  addicted  myself  to  meta- 
physics, I  had  altogether  abandoned  the  road.  Dur- 
ing my  six  years'  residence  in  Alabama,  I  was 
accustomed  to  spend  a  good  part  of  the  summer 
and  fall  of  every  other  year  in  extensive  journeys 
through  the  State,  generally  preaching  once  or  twice 
a  day.  The  monotony  of  student  life  was  thus  re- 
lieved, and  I  had  the  fullest  opportunity  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  life  and  habits  of  the  Southern 
people.  I  was  once  riding  from  Tuscaloosa  to  Greens- 
borough,  a  day's  journey,  forty  miles ;  the  only  pas- 
senger for  the  first  two  hours  was  a  little  music  teacher 
from  down  East,  who  spent  most  of  his  time  on  the 
box  with  the  driver.  As  I  lay  extended  on  the  front 
seat,  enjoying  the  fumes  of  my  cigar,  my  head  lean- 
ing out  of  one  window  and  my  feet  protruding  from 
the  other,  the  stage  suddenly  stopped  in  front  of  a 
plantation  gate,  and  I  found  that  we  were  to  have 
another  passenger,  m  hose  air  and  tone  bespoke  him  a 


302  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE ;     OR, 

man  of  the  world.  His  good  byes  to  friends  were 
soon  said,  and  as  lie  mounted  with  some  difficulty  to 
his  place,  I  discovered  that  he  had  the  gout;  he 
waved  adieu,  and  the  stage  rolled  off,  but  not  until  I 
had  caught  the  words,  "  God  bless  you,  Sam !" 
Every  gentleman  in  the  South  is  su|)posed  to  smoke, 
so  pulling  out  my  case,  I  offered  him  a  cigar.  He 
lit,  the  conversation  commenced,  and  as  a  matter 
of  course,  politics  was  the  first  subject  broached. 
He  was  a  lawyer,  had  been  an  editor,  and  I  was 
not  long  in  ascertaining  his  identity.  He  was  a  New 
England  man,  born  and  bred,  but  had  resided  many 
years  in  the  South,  lie  had  a  brother  in  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States,  who  was  as  noted  for  his  free- 
soil  opinions,  as  my  new  companion  was  decided  in 
his  aversion  to  them.  From  politics  we  turned  to 
books,  then  to  men,  and  so  on  to  matters  and  things 
in  general.  In  due  time,  the  hamper  of  good  things 
with  which  I  was  provided  was  produced,  and  break- 
ing bread  together,  we  became  confidential. 

"  I  suppose,"  he  said,  "  you're  a  brother  of  mine — 
a  sprig  of  the  law  ?" 

"  Not  at  all,"  I  replied,  indisposed  to  surrender  my 
personality  so  easily. 

"  An  editor,  then  ?" 

«  No." 

"  What !  is  it  possible  that  you  give  people  calomel 
and  jalap,  and  cut  off  arms  and  legs?" 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  303 

"  ]So  indeed ;  I  am  not  such  a  barbarian." 

"  You  are  not  a  planter  ?" 

"No." 

"In  heaven's  name  then,  what  are  you?" 

"  Nothing  much,"  I  replied,  "  but  a  poor  scholar  " 

Just  then  we  stopped  at  the  half-way  house  in 
Havanna;  slapping  me  on  the  knee,  he  said  with 
great  honluyinie: 

"  Whatever  else  you  are,  you're  a  thundering  good 
fellow.  There's  a  juicery  here;  let  us  get  out  and 
wet  our  whistles  with  some  bald-faced  whisky." 

I  declined  his  polite  invitation,  and  he  drank  alone. 
"We  chatted  along  pleasantly  through  the  afternoon, 
and  he  favored  me  with  his  views  upon  the  deleteri- 
ous influences  of  Puritanism,  based  upon  his  own 
experience  of  the  tendency  to  reaction  from  early 
rigid  restraint.  He  denounced  Calvinism  fiercely, 
and  said  that  it  was  chargeable  to  a  large  extent  for 
the  infidelity  and  ultraism  of  his  native  land,  and 
added  that  he  had  only  found  refuge  from  deism 
and  atheism,  in  the  teachings  of  Emanuel  Sweden- 
borg.  The  Swedish  seer,  it  seemed,  had  been  making 
not  a  few  proselytes  among  the  members  of  the 
bar  upon  his  circuit.  After  he  had  descanted  at 
length  on  the  true  Christian  religion,  in  a  style  more 
emphatic  than  proper,  for  the  leaven  of  mystical 
contemplation  had  not  succeeded  in  purging  his  con- 
versation from  an  occasional  oath,  I  observed  that  I 


304  TEN   YEAKS   OF   PREACHEK-LIFE  J     OR, 

had  read  a  number  of  the  books  of  Swedenborg  and 
of  his  principal  disciples. 

"  What  the  dickens  haven't  you  read,  I  should  like 
to  know  ?"  he  interrupted. 

"  But,"  I  continued,  "  it  is  hardly  to  be  expected 
that  I  should  become  a  "  receiver,"  and  at  the  same 
time  remain  a  Methodist  preacher." 

"  A  Methodist  preacher !"  he  shouted.  "  You ! 
If  I  had  been  out  with  a  rifle  to  shoot  parsons,  I 
should  never  have  pulled  trigger  at  you."  Then, 
recollecting  himself,  he  said,  "  Is  it  possible  that  I 

have  the  pleasure  of  travelling  with  Mr. ?" 

and  pronounced  my  name. 

I  assured  him  that  I  was  the  person  mentioned. 

"  "What  a  fool  I  am  I"  he  continued  ;  "  I  might  have 
known  it,  if  I  had  the  sense  I  was  born  with.  I  heard 
that  you  were  coming  down  this  road,  and  so  laid 
over  two  days  at  the  house  of  a  friend,  to  avoid  you. 
I  don't  like  parsons  as  a  general  thing,  but  I  confess 
that  I  am  fairly  caught,  and  moreover,  I  am  not  sorry 
for  it." 

He  then  apologized  for  swearing,  saying  that  it 
was  such  a  habit  in  his  part  of  the  country,  that  men 
were  scarce  conscious  of  it,  unless  they  found  them- 
selves in  the  presence  of  women  or  of  ministers.  By 
this  time  we  had  reached  our  journey's  end,  and 
parted ;  but  I  have  no  recollection  of  a  pleasanter 
stage  ride  than  that. 


CnAPTEKS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRArilY.  305 

At  another  time  I  was  on  my  way  from  Mont- 
gomery to  Tuscaloosa,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  or  forty  miles.  We  had  ridden  eighteen  hours, 
and  stopped  at  the  town  of  Marion  to  dine.  A  num- 
ber of  the  passengers  left  the  stage  at  this  place,  and 
their  seats  were  taken  by  others ;  among  these  were  a 
gentleman  and  two  ladies,  who,  of  course,  occupied 
the  back  seat.  As  I  was  immediately  opposite,  on 
the  front  seat,  the  elder  of  the  ladies  commenced  a 
conversation  with  me.  I  was  a  stranger  to  every 
one  of  the  party,  and  it  must  be  premised  that  a 
leather  cap,  linen  overcoat,  a  figure  completely  cov- 
ered with  dust  (for  the  season  was  very  dry),  and 
withal  an  exceedingly  youthful  appearance,  did  not 
render  my  presence  very  imposing. 

"  Travelling,  sir  ?"  she  began  in  a  voice  which  at 
once  revealed  to  me  her  New  England  origin. 

"  Yes,  madam,  as  far  as  Tuscaloosa."    . 

"  Ah,  I  see ;  on  your  way  to  college." 

"No." 

"  What !  you  are  not  going  to  take  a  course,  then  ?"  * 

"  I  left  college  some  time  since." 

"  You've  been  to  college  ?" 

"  Yes,  madam." 

"What  one?" 

"  Illinois  College." 

"  Ah,  I  guess  that  don't  amount  to  much.  Where 
do  you  live,  sir  ?" 


300  TEN   YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  J     OR, 

"  I  can  scarce  be  said  to  live  anywhere ;  but  I 
have  been  spending  some  time  in  Montgomery.?' 

"  Ah,  in  Montgomery — do  you  know  the  Hev.  Mr. 
Milburn  of  that  place  ?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  I  have  some  accpiaintance  with 
him,"  I  replied,  with  entire  self-possession. 

"I've  had  a  great  desire  to  hear  him  preach," 
she  continued.  "  My  husband,  niece  and  myself 
stopped  in  Montgomery  last  Saturday,  but  unfortu- 
nately I  was  taken  very  ill  in  the  night  at  the 
hotel,  and  was  so  sick  all  the  next  day,  that  none 
of  us  could  get  out  to  church.  We  were  very  much 
disappointed." 

"  I  don't  think  you  missed  much." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  sir  V  she  said,  rather 
tartly. 

"  Only  that  I  heard  him  preach  twice  on  Sunday, 
and  I  didn't  think  much  of  the  sermons." 

"  You  didn't  think  much  of  the  sermons,"  she  re- 
plied, with  a  sneer.  "  I  think  it  perfectly  disgusting  to 
hear  the  young  men  of  the  present  age  talk  about 
ministers  ;  that's  the  regular  cant ;  nothing  is  elo- 
quent or  great  enough  for  our  would-be  smart  young 
men.  If  an  angel  from  heaven  were  to  come  down 
and  preach,  I  suppose  you  would  criticise  him. 
Your  mother  ought  to  have  taught  you  better, 
sir,  than  to  speak  slightingly  of  eminent  divines; 
I'd  have  done  it,  if  I  had  been  your  mother.     Birch 


CIIAPTEK3    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  307 

oil-birch  oil,  sir,  is  the  thing  that's  wanted  in  tho 
education  of  these  times." 

"Really,  ma'am,"  I  replied,  -with  great  humility; 
"  I  had  no  notion  of  disparaging  Mr.  Milburn,  or  of 
hinting  the  slightest  disrespect  toward  the  Christian 
ministry." 

"  Oh,  no  ;  of  course  you  hadn't." 

After  a  moment  she  resumed,  "  I  suppose  you 
mean  to  study  law?" 

k-  No." 

"  Medicine  ?" 

"No." 

"  Ah,  you're  going  to  be  a  planter  and  not  a  pro- 
fessional man  ?" 

"  I  am  a  sort  of  a  professional  man  now." 

"  You  a  professional  man — I  should  like  to  know 
what  profession  you  belong  to?" 

"  I  am  a  preacher,  ma'am." 

■•  A  preacher !"  she  exclaimed,  with  unfeigned  sur- 
prise, "  do  you  belong  to  any  church  ?" 

«  Yes." 

"To  what  church?" 

"To  the  Methodist." 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon,"  she  said  ;  "  I  thought  from 
your  appearance  you  must  be  one  of  the  Comeouti a ■-. 
We  are  just  from  Boston,  where  we've  been  visiting 
our  friends,  and  they've  a  dreadful  lot  of  people  there 
that  wear  long  hair,  and  look  very  frowzy,  and  aru 


308  TEtf   YEAKS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;      OE, 

culled  Comeouters.  I  don't  know  where  they  came 
from,  but  I  can  guess  where  they're  going  to.  I 
thought  you  must  be  one  of  them,"  then  bethinking 
herself,  she  repeated.  "To  the  Methodist  church? 
I  see  how  it  is.  Young  man,"  she  proceeded,  with 
great  solemnity,  "envy  and  jealousy  are  the  mean- 
est passions  that  rankle  in  the  human  bosom,  and  I 
am  afraid  that  nothing  is  more  common  than  for 
young  ministers  to  hare  such  feelings  toward  their 
elders  and  their  betters.  Let  me  warn  you  against 
indulging  that,  for  it  looks  to  me  very  much  as  if 
vou  had  such  feelings  toward  the  gentleman  of  whom 
we  have  been  speaking.  You  are  just  beginning 
life — get  rid  of  them  or  they  will  ruin  you." 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  good 
advice,  but  really  I  am  not  aware  that  I  am  the  vic- 
tim of  these  bad  passions,  and  Mr.  Milburn  is  the 
last  man  in  the  world,  of  whom  I  would  be  jealous  01 
envious." 

"  You  may  think  so  ;  but  oh  !  the  heart  is  deceitful 
and  desperately  wicked."  She  then  went  on  in  a 
more  cheerful  tone,  "  May  I  take  the  liberty  of  ask- 
ing your  name  ?" 

"  Certainly,  madam  ;  my  name  is  Milburn." 

"  Ah  !"  she  said,  "  any  relation  to  the  gentleman 
of  whom  we  have  been  speaking  ?" 

"  To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  am  not  aware  that  there 
is  any  other  person  of  that  name  in  Montgomery." 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  309 

"Are  you  the  pastor  of  a  Methodist  church 
there  ?" 

"  I  am  ;  and  you  must  allow  me  to  thank  you  for 
the  manner  in  which  you  have  defended  me  from  my- 
self." Soon  after,  we  reached  Greensborough,  where 
we  went  our  several  ways,  and  I  saw  them  no  more. 

Early  in  the  month  of  July,  1852,  I  was  again  on 
my  way  to  Tuscaloosa,  but  this  time  from  Mobile. 
I  had  stopped  at  various  places  to  preach,  and  had 
become  not  a  little  exhausted  by  reason  of  the  labor 
and  the  excessive  heat.  Nevertheless,  as  I  had  ap- 
pointments for  every  day  in  the  next  four  months, 
extending  through  a  wide  region  of  country,  it  was 
necessary  to  push  on  without  regard  to  weakness.  I 
had  quitted  the  house  of  a  friend  in  the  canebrake 
early  one  morning,  hoping  to  reach  Greensborough, 
forty  miles  off,  by  night.  My  conveyance  was  a  one- 
horse  buggy ;  the  driver  a  kind-hearted  old  negro. 
By  eleven  o'clock  I  found  myself  growing  faint,  and 
requested  Uncle  Sam  to  stop  at  the  first  house,  that  I 
might  rest.  A  gate  was  soon  reached,  and  lifting  me 
from  the  carriage,  Sam  supported  me  to  the  door,  in 
which  stood  a  damsel,  to  whom  I  said,  "  May  I  have 
leave  to  rest  here  a  little  while  ?  I  don't  feel  very 
well."  Perhaps  my  pallid,  ghostly  appearance  scared 
her,  fur  without  a  word  she  pointed  to  a  room  on  the 
right,  and  then  fled  with  precipitation. 

Sam  had  hardly  laid  me  upon  the  bed  when  I  fell 


310  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  \    OR, 

into  a  deep  swoon,  from  which  I  did  not  recover  for 
an  hour.  As  consciousness  began  to  revive,  I  found 
the  kind-hearted  negro  sedulously  engaged  in  rub- 
bing and  fanning  me. 

"  Can't  you  get  something  to  strengthen  me,  Sam  ?" 
I  feebly  said. 

"  No,  massa,"  he  replied ;  "  dey  got  nothin  but 
whisky ;  and  dere  nothin  but  trash,  poor,  mean 
white  folks ;  dey  won't  come  a-near  you,  nor  do  a 
hand's  turn  for  you,  'cause  dey  think  you  got  de 
cholera,  and  dey  catch  it.  Never  mind,  massa,"  he 
said  in  a  cheery  way,  "  I  kin  nuss  you ;"  then  adding 
with  the  finest  scorn,  "  dey's  nothin  but  nasty  piney 
woods  people,  nohow." 

His  untiring  exertions,  together  with  a  bucket  of 
cool  water  which  he  brought  from  the  well,  restored 
me  so  far  that  in  another  hour  I  was  ready  for  the 
road. 

As  we  drove  away,  the  indignant  old  fellow  ex- 
claimed :  "  I  hope  de  Lord  will  strike  dat  house  wid 
lightning,  and  kill  all  dem  people's  geese  and 
chickens.  Dey  don't  own  no  colored  people,  so  dey 
ain't  nobody." 

We  had  not  proceeded  more  than  ten  miles,  when 
I  again  felt  the  need  of  rest,  and  desired  him  to  draw 
rein  at  the  first  house.  "We  entered  a  plantation, 
and  stopped  before  the  porch  of  a  house,  where  an 
old,  infirm  man  was  seated.     I  stated  my  case  to  him, 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  31i 

but  hai  hardly  done  so,  when  lie  said  in  a  most 
cordial  manner :  "  Come  in,  come  in,  my  dear  sir, 
the  house  and  all  that  it  contains  are  at  your  ser- 
vice." 

Sam  helped  me  to  the  drawing-room,  where  I  was 
no  sooner  placed  upon  the  sofa,  than  I  sank  into 
another  deep  swoon.  "When  I  awoke  and  could  look 
about  me,  it  was  so  dark  that  I  thought  it  must  be 
night.  The  day  had  been  brilliantly  beautiful,  scarce 
a  cloud  could  be  seen,  except  along  the  southwestern 
horizon,  where  piles  of  white  vapor  seemed  reposing. 
But  within  an  hour  these  had  risen  and  overspread 
the  firmament,  and  gave  dark  and  threatening  token 
of  elemental  war.  I  tottered  to  the  porch  to  gaze 
at  the  coming  storm,  the  air  was  close  and  sultry,  an 
awful  stillness  reigned,  broken  only  by  a  low, 
distant  sigh,  heard  ever  and  anon,  or  a  terrified 
bellow  from  the  frightened  cattle.  Presently  an 
alarming  spectacle  made  its  appearance  in  the 
sky,  coming  from  south  of  west.  It  was  a  black, 
pear-shaped  cloud,  with  its  stem  toward  the  earth, 
surcharged  with  lightning,  thunder  and  tem- 
pest. Now  it  looked  like  an  out-spread  umbrella, 
with  its  handle  near  the  ground,  its  bending  top  a 
sheet  of  vivid  flame,  rigged  with  zig-zag  flashes. 
Then  it  became  compact,  and  resembled  an  inverted 
cone,  and  soon  after  it  seemed  a  funnel  through  which 
the  contents  of  some  fearful  caldron  were  pouring. 


312  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ',     OR, 

Lightnings  of  all  colors  streamed  from  it  and  in 
every  direction,  straight  and  zig-zag  toward  heaven 
and  earth,  and  in  transverse  lines  toward  every 
point  of  the  compass ;  the  thunder,  loud  as  a  thousand 
pieces  of  artillery,  seemed  one  prolonged  concussion  ; 
but  even  over  this  din  rose  the  roar  of  the  wind. 
The  rain  fell  in  foaming  sheets,  and  its  white  floods, 
all  fire-wreathed,  lent  a  spectral  horror  to  the  sepul- 
chral gloom.  Fortunately,  our  house  was  on  the 
remotest  verge  of  the  tornado,*which  had  here  com- 
pressed itself  within  narrow  limits,  and  swept  along 
with  astounding  velocity,  finding  the  fruitful  bounty 
and  joyous  verdure  of  summer,  but  leaving  desolation 
and  ruin.  My  energies  were  prostrate,  my  nerves 
unstrung ;  and  I  believe  that,  overpowered  by  the 
electrical  state  of  the  air,  I  experienced,  for  the  first 
time,  physical  terror  in  all  its  intensity.  I  crept  to  the 
door  of  one  of  the  family  rooms  and  tapped.  It  was 
opened  by  a  matronly  woman,  who  said  in  the 
gentlest  tone : 

"  What  will  you  have  ?" 

"  I  am  alarmed,  may  I  come  and  sit  with  you  ?" 

She  took  my  hand,  led  me  to  a  seat,  and  with  the 
kindest  assiduity  sought  to  soothe  my  apprehensions 
and  quiet  my  fears.  She  laid  aside  her  own  alarm  that 
she  might  minister  to  a  helpless  and  suffering  stranger. 

In  another  hour  the  sky  was  almost  clear  of  clouds, 
and  the  sinking  sun  threw  his  farewell  beams  up 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  313 

to  the  vault  of  heaven,  which  never  seemed  more 
beautifully  blue.     All  around  the  east 

"  Shone  the  million  colored  bow, 
The  sphere  fire  above  its  soft  colors  wove, 
"While  the  moist  earth  was  laughing  below." 

As  twilight  was  deepening  into  darkness,  I  entered 
the  gate  and  bade  my  driver  stop  at  the  foot  of  a  hill, 
on  whose  top,  not  many  yards  distant,  stood  the  house 
of  one  of  my  Greensborough  friends.  The  delicious 
coolness  and  balmy  air  of  evening  had  invigorated 
me,  and  I  was  disposed  to  terminate  this  rather  try- 
ing day  with  a  little  sport.  It  was  too  dark  for  per- 
sons in  the  house  to  recognize  one  at  any  distance,  so 
putting  my  hand  to  my  mouth  to  disguise  the  voice, 
I  shouted,  "  Halloo  the  house." 

"  What  do  you  want !" 

"  Some  supper  and  a  bed." 

"  Go  to  the  hotel  and  get  them." 

"  I  had  rather  stay  here." 

"  But  we  don't  keep  tavern." 

"  I  can't  help  that,  you'll  have  to  keep  me." 

"  Leave  my  yard  at  once,"  shouted  my  friend, 
fairly  excited. 

"  Never  a  bit  of  it,"  I  replied,  and  began  to  get 
out  of  the  buggy.  By  this  time,  the  entire  house- 
hold had  collected  at  the  front  door,  and  lights  had 
been  brought,  so  that  my  movements  were  dis- 
14 


314      TEN  YEARS  OF  PREACHER-LIFE  :  OR 


covered.  My  friend,  the  Doctor,  was  a  man  of  small 
stature,  but  high-spirited  and  bold  as  a  lion. 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  he  cried,  as  he  came 
bounding  down  the  hill.  "Leave  these  premises 
instantly,  or  I'll  put  you  out,  neck  and  heels." 

"Doctor!  Doctor!"  shouted  his  wife,  hardly  able 
to  speak  for  laughing  (for  woman's  more  delicate  ear 
had  detected  the  voice,  notwithstanding  its  disguise) 
"  Don't  you  know  who  it  is  ?     It  is  Brother ." 

I  need  hardly  say  I  was  not  kicked  out.  Warm 
hearts  and  good  cheer  and  the  long  talk  about  Eu- 
rope, whither  my  friend  had  been  since  we  last  met, 
made  a  bright  and  happy  night  after  a  day  of  weak- 
ness and  suffering.  God  bless  thee,  and  all  that  are 
dear  to  thee,  my  noble  hearted  friend,  Doctor  Tom 
Webb. 

In  tlia  morning  I  was  up  with  the  lark,  anol  went 
on  my  way  rejoicing,  nor  did  I  miss  one  of  my  ap- 
pointments during  the  next  four  months. 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  315 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SOUTHERN   CHARACTER. 

According  to  the  law  of  the  Methodist  Church,  a 
preacher  can  only  remain  two  years  in  charge  of  one 
society.  At  the  expiration  of  my  time  in  Mont- 
gomery, I  was  transferred  to  Mobile  and  appointed 
to  the  St.  Francis  street  Church.  That  pleasant 
little  city,  by  the  by,  was  my  home  for  four  years. 
When  my  time  in  St.  Francis  street  expired,  the 
bishop  made  me  city  missionary,  in  which  capacity 
it  would  have  been  possible  for  me  to  remain  per- 
manently ;  and  I  suppose  that  Mobile  would  then  have 
been  my  home  and  my  grave.  It  came  near  being 
the  latter  ;  but  the  former,  it  was  not  destined  to  be. 

We  bought  a  cottage  on  the  edge  of  the  town,  and 
with  about  half  an  acre  of  ground,  embarked  in  that 
most  hazardous  of  all  undertakings,  making  improve- 
ments. We  laid  out  a  garden  and  planted  the  differ- 
ent kinds  of  vegetables  and  flowers,  but  somehow  or 
other  they  would  not  grow  satisfactorily.  Having  a 
cow,  we  built  a  two-story  stable,  containing,  besides  a 
carriage  house  and  stalls  for  several  horses  and  cows, 


316  TEN   YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

a  loft  for  hay,  corn,  oats,  etc.,  a  neat  room  for  ser- 
vants. In  (nit'  of  my  visits  to  the  country,  a  friend, 
thinking  that  I  needed  exercise,  presented  me  with 
a  valuable  saddle  horse.  By  the  way,  I  must 
here  indulge  in  an  episode  illustrating  a  curious 
superstition  of  southwestern  steamboat-men.  In  my 
endeavor  to  transport  my  quadruped,  to  Mobile,  I 
spent  three  days  on  a  river  bank,  hailing  every  boat 
that  passed,  and  desiring  them  to  receive  my  steed  and 
myself  on  board  as  passengers,  but  in  vain.  The  cap- 
tains all  knew  me,  and  would  have  been  glad  to  serve 
me,  but  not  at  such  a  fearful  risk  of  fire,  explosion,  col- 
lision, or  snagging,  as  would  have  been  involved  in 
carrying  a  parson  and  a  grey  mare.  They  would 
take  either  separately,  but  not  both ;  and  after  a  num- 
ber of  fruitless  attempts  to  keep  together,  we  were 
obliged  to  divide,  I  going  by  one  boat,  leaving  her  to 
follow  by  the  next. 

A  saddle  horse  is  an  expensive  comfort  in  the  city, 
and  my  wife  averred  that  mine  would  eat  her  own 
head  off  in  six  months,  that  the  idea  of  a  Methodist 
preacher,  on  a  narrow  stipend,  keeping  a  horse  for  an 
occasional  ride,  was  preposterous  and  not  to  be  tole- 
rated. The  wife  of  one  of  our  neighbors  had  been 
delighting  herself  in  a  little  speculation,  to  wit,  driv- 
ing a  dray;  that  is  to  say,  having  a  horse  and  a 
negro  man,  neither  of  whom  had  anything  to  do,  she 
purchased  a  dray  and  set  the  man  to  driving  it. 


CHAPTERS   FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  317 

Glowing  accounts  of  the  profitable  returns  from  this 
investment  fired  my  wife's  imagination,  and  we  bought 
a  dray ;  but  neither  of  us  could  drive,  nor  were  any  of 
our  children  large  enough  to  do  so.  "We  therefore  did 
what  was  considered  the  next  best  thing — hired  an 
Irishman.  The  Irish  have  one  peculiarity,  there  is  no- 
thing they  cannot  do.  My  horse  was  a  saddle-beast, 
and  had.  never  been  broken  to  harness,  but  our  man 
declared  that  he  could  break  her  just  as  easy  as  roll- 
ing off  a  log,  that  he  had  broken  horses  all  his  life.  I 
do  not  believe  that  he  had  ever  anything  to  do  with  a 
horse  before.  As  I  never  had  a  knack  for  business,  my 
wife  agreed  to  engineer  this  project.  The  driver  was 
to  get  twenty-five  dollars  a  month  and  be  found,  the 
horse  food  was  to  be  paid  for,  the  cost  of  the  dray 
and  harness  to  be  replaced  in  the  family  fund,  and 
then  all  the  profits  were  to  inure  to  my  spouse  as 
pin  money;  but,  alas,  the  profits  never  came,  the 
horse  stalled  with  her  first  load,  which  Patrick  was 
to  take  seven  miles,  and  for  which  he  was  to  re- 
ceive four  dollars  and  a  half.  He  worried  the  poor 
beast  so  much,  and  beat  her  so  cruelly,  that  she  was 
never  fit  for  harness  afterward.  "When  we  retired 
from  the  transportation  and  forwarding  business, 
drays  were  not  in  demand ;  we  did  not  even  succeed 
in  forcing  a  sale,  and  the  vehicle  stood  in  the  yard 
until  the  sun  and  the  rain  took  it  to  pieces. 

About  tliis  time  the  chicken  fever  was  prevailing 


318  TEN   TEARS   OF   PREACIIER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

as  an  epidemic.  Of  course  we  took  it.  My  brother, 
who  was  the  first  member  of  the  family  attacked  by 
this  disease,  presented  my  wife  with  a  pair  of  Shang- 
hais, costing  ten  dollars.  The  possession  of  so  remark- 
able a  pair  of  fowls  awakened  in  us  a  lively  interest 
toward  this  branch  of  natural  history.  We  obtained 
the  various  'books  which  treated  of  it,  and  became 
exceeding  learned  in  chicken  lore.  "We  added  to 
our  improvements,  by  the  erection  of  a  spacious 
hen-house,  and  by  fencing  a  handsome  inclosure  for 
the  benefit  of  the  broods  we  were  going  to  have. 
We  did  not  mean  to  eat  the  monster  birds,  but  de- 
sired to  raise  them  for  sale,  that  we  might  thereby 
turn  an  honest  penny.  But  Shanghais  soon  became 
very  common,  and  although  our  first  pair  had  multi- 
plied exceedingly,  there  was  no  demand  for  the 
article.  Still  our  ardor  was  not  cooled.  We  at- 
tended a  chicken  fair,  and  were  ravished  by  the 
incredibly  long  legs  appertaining  to  a  magnificent  pair 
of  feathered  bipeds,  styled  "  Urania  Pootras,"  for 
which  the  modest  price  of  fifty  dollars  was  asked. 
The  chief  trait  of  these  remarkable  birds,  so  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  discover,  was  that  they  could  stand 
on  the  floor  and  eat  corn  from  a  table,  and  enough 
of  it  in  the  course  of  a  day  to  supply  a  good  sized 
family  with  bread  for  the  same  length  of  time. 
Several  of  our  neighbors  told  us  that  if  we  would 
buy  the  fowls,  they  would  each  take  a  dozen  eggs,  at 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  319 

the  rate  of  twelve  dollars  a  dozen.  "What  a  stroke 
of  fortune ;  the  goose  that  laid  the  golden  egg  had 
come  to  us  at  last.  The  Brama  Pootras  were  ours. 
But  where  were  they  to  be  kept?  Although  the 
hen-house  was  padlocked  at  night ;  cunning  thieves, 
used  to  robbing  hen-roosts,  could  easily  remove  that 
obstacle.  "We  were  oppressed  with  all  the  weight  of 
care  which  newly-found  riches  are  wont  to  bring. 
After  much  deliberation,  it  was  decided  to  give  them 
the  carriage-house,  and  it  was  a  matter  of  no  little 
moment  to  see  them  safely  bestowed  every  evening 
and  released  in  the  morning.  But  when  would  the 
hen  begin  to  lay?  It  became  a  subject  of  serious 
speculation  to  the  neighborhood.  Her  aristocratic 
cackle  was  waited  for  with  impatience.  Friends 
inquired,  day  after  day,  if  the  important  event  had 
yet  taken  place ;  we  were  obliged  to  answer  as 
cheerfully  as  we  could,  that  it  had  not,  then  we 
moralized  about  "  haste  making  waste,"  "  Rome  not 
being  built  in  a  day,"  etc.,  winding  up  by  counselling 
patience.  At  length  the  cackle,  so  long  waited  for,  was 
heard,  and  the  entire  family,  white  and  black,  old  and 
young,  hurried  to  look  for  the  egg,  and  discovered  to 
our  horror  that  the  barbarous  chanticleer  had  with  hie 
beak  pecked  the  precious  deposit  of  his  dame,  and 
that  the  white  and  yolk  were  oozing  from  the  frac- 
tured shell.  I  never  heard  that  that  hen  laid  another 
egg.     Our  fears  that  the  hen-house  might  prove  an 


320  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;      OR, 

unsafe  asylum,  were  justified  ere  long,  for  one  stormy 
night  the  door  was  forced,  and  of  fifty  Shanghais, 
not  one  was  left.  We  began  at  once  to  recover  from 
this  attack  of  chicken  fever,  and  our  convalescence 
was  soon  pronounced  complete.  This  disease  is  said 
to  resemble  the  yellow  fever  in  one  respect — the 
patient  never  has  it  a  second  time;  if  he  succeeds  in 
living  through  it,  he  is  supposed  to  be  stronger  for  it 
ever  after. 

Since  the  failure  of  th«  dray  and  chicken  business, 
we  have  not  embarked  in  any  mercantile  operations. 

In  the  matter  of  society,  Mobile  could  safely  challenge 
comparison  with  any  city  of  the  Union.  Upon  the 
Creole  or  native  population  had  been  ingrafted  favor- 
able specimens  from  almost  every  State  in  the  Union, 
and  from  the  principal  nations  of  Europe.  The  circle 
was  large  enough  to  afford  the  richest  variety,  but  not 
so  large  as  to  destroy  unity.  The  leaven  of  the  early 
French  element  had  not  ceased  to  work,  but  showed 
itself  in  the  exquisite  courtesy  of  the  people's  man- 
ners. Every  city  of  the  Republic  has  a  topograph- 
ical and  no  less  a  social  physiognomy  of  its  own.  In 
Boston  the  test  question  as  to  a  man  is,  "What  does 
he  know  ?  In  New  York,  How  much  is  he  worth  ? 
In  Philadelphia,  Who  are  his  relations  ?  In  Balti- 
more, Has  he  a  good  digestion?  In  Washington, 
How  many  votes  can  he  command  ?  In  Charleston, 
Who  was  his  grandfather  ?     In  Cincinnati,  How  many 


CHAPTERS   FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  321 

hogs  does  he  kill  ?  In  Chicago,  How  many  "  corner 
lots"  does  he  own?  In  St.  Louis,  Has  he  an  interest 
in  the  Fur  Company?  In  New  Orleans,  south  of 
Canal  street,  How  much  cotton  does  he  sell  ?  North 
of  Canal  street,  How  does  he  dance  and  dress  ?  In 
Mobile,  Is  he  a  man  of  good  manners  ? 

Throughout  the  South,  whether  in  city  or  country, 
there  is  an  attention  paid  to  the  proprieties  and  cour- 
tesies of  life,  which  I  have  failed  to  observe  in  some 
other  parts  of  the  Union — a  reverence  for  age, 
deference  to  childhood,  a  polite  regard  for  equals,  a 
kind  tone  to  the  poor,  treatment  of  the  negro  as  if 
he  were  one  of  the  family,  and  a  truly  chivalric  bear- 
ing toward  women.  I  believe  that  it  is  a  universal 
practice  there  for  a  man  to  uncover  when  saluting  a 
lady — not  simply  to  raise  the  hat  from  the  head,  but 
to  let  it  fall  as  low  as  the  knee,  while  she  passes. 
Mr.  Thackeray  pays  a  deserved  tribute  to  the  men 
of  our  country,  in  his  lecture  on  "  Charity  and 
Humor."  "I  will  tell  you  when  I  have  been  put  in 
mind  of  two  of  the  finest  gentlemen  books  bring  us 
any  mention  of — I  mean  our  books  (not  books  of 
history,  but  books  of  humor).  I  will  tell  you  when  I 
have  been  put  in  mind  of  the  courteous  gallantry  of 
the  noble  knight,  Sir  Roger  do  Coverley,  of  Ooverley 
Manor,  of  the  noble  Hidalgo  Don  Quixote  of  La 
Mancha — here,  in  your  own  omnibus-carriages  and 
railway  cars,  when  I  have  seen  a  woman  step  in, 

U* 


322  TEN    YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OK, 

handsome  or  not,  well-dressed  or  not,  and  a  workman 
in  hob-nailed  shoes,  or  a  dandy  in  the  height  of  the 
fashion,  rise  up  and  give  her  his  place.  I  think,  Mr. 
Spectator,  with  his  short  face,  if  he  had  seen  such  a 
deed  of  courtesy,  would  have  smiled  a  sweet  smile  to 
the  doer  of  that  gentleman-like  action,  and  have  made 
him  a  low  bow  from  under  his  great  periwig,  and  have 
gone  home  and  written  a  pretty  paper  about  him. 
I  am  sure  Dick  Steele  would  have  hailed  him, 
were  he  dandy  or  mechanic,  and  asked  him  to  share  a 
bottle,  or  perhaps  half  a  dozen."  But  nowhere  have 
I  seen  the  homage  to  woman,  thus  fitly  commemo- 
rated, so  fervent,  refined,  complete,  as  in  the  Southern 
States.  Many  a  time,  in  that  land,  have  I  listened 
with  wondering  delight,  as  when  under  the  spell  of 
music,  to  the  tones  of  a  man's  voice  as  he  conversed 
with  a  lady.  There  was  no  trick  of  conventional 
affability,  no  conscious  and  voluntary  deference  put 
on  for  the  occasion,  no  cockney  lisp  or  stammer, 
or  mannerism  of  honeyed  condescension ;  but  the 
thing  signified  by  the  symbol  of  an  obeisance, 
wherein  self-respect  maintains  its  noblest  attitude, 
by  bending  lowly  in  presence  of  something  more 
beautiful  and  sacred.  Manhood  shows  no  symptom 
of  reaction  from  the  education  of  the  fireside,  and 
the  reverent  loyalty  toward  "  mother,"  combined 
with  a  cherishing  affection  for  sisters,  is  carried  forth 
into  society. 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  323 

It  is  rare  to  hear  a  fine  voice  in  the  North.  There 
must  be  a  quality  in  the  atmosphere  which  we 
breathe,  to  brace  and  stiffen  the  muscles  of  the 
throat,  and  to  narrow  the  orifice  of  the  mouth,  so  that 
a  part  of  our  vocal  tone  is  obliged  to  escape  through 
the  nose.  The  unventilated  state  of  our  lungs,  and 
the  imperfect  development  of  the  chest,  so  dis- 
mally manifest  in  the  prevalence  of  pulmonary  dis- 
eases, conspire  to  bereave  us  of  much  that  is  sweetest 
and  most  beautiful  in  that  finest  organ  of  humanity, 
the  voice.  But  it  is  not  so  in  the  full  throat,  the  deep 
chest,  of  the  South,  where  the  lungs  do  not  fear  to 
welcome  the  profound  inspiration  of  a  genial,  balmy 
ether.  In  the  North,  people  seem  to  be  fearful 
that  the  respectability  of  their  position  is  not  assured  ; 
and  that  they  must  therefore  guard  it,  in  chilly  isola- 
tion, by  a  stiff  reserve. 

Our  educated  men,  lured  by  the  prospect  of  gain 
and  distinction,  are  centralized  in  the  great  cities  ; 
while  money  is  used  for  investment  in  stocks,  for  the 
purchase,  in  fashionable  neighborhoods,  of  stately 
houses  with  brown  stone  fronts,  and  for  maintaining 
a  style  of  extravagant  civic  outlay.  "  Going  to  the 
country,"  for  the  most  part,  means  the  stay  of  a  few 
weeks  at  a  fashionable  watering-place,  where  the  rou- 
tine and  excitement  of  conventional  life  are  aggra- 
vated. Over-work  is  charactered  in  lines  of  care  on 
the  face  of  almost  every  intellectual  man  you  meet, 


324  TEN    VKAKS    OF    P&KACHKK-LIFE  ;     OR, 

and  over-dressed  is  equally  legible  in  the  costly  rust- 
Ling  costumes  of  the  women.  Men  of  fortune  rarely 
seem  desirous  to  become  owners  of  large  landed 
estates  except  for  the  purpose  of  speculation  ;  they 
rarely  hunt,  and  are  as  seldom  good  riders.  Rural 
life  has  few  charms  for  our  educated  women ;  social 
life  is  so  badly  organized  that  the  present  race  of 
wives  and  mothers  must  expend  their  energies  and 
achieve  martyrdom  in  attempting  to  train  raw  Irish 
peasants  to  become  serviceable  domestics.  And  if 
they  would  fain  reside  among  orchards  and  mea- 
dows, the  chances  are  that  they  must  perform  their 
own  household  drudgery,  at  least  a  portion  of  the 
time,  and  be  prepared  for  it  on  any  emergency. 
Few  of  the  sons  of  our  farmers  who  acquire  an 
education  beyond  what  the  common  school  affords, 
become  farmers  themselves,  and  few  of  the  daugh- 
ters of  our  wealthy  and  educated  classes,  but  would 
think  it  beneath  them  to  marry  a  farmer.  The 
city,  and  the  life  of  the  city,  have  absorbing  power 
and  irresistible  charm.  The  American  citizen  is  apt 
to  have  no  leisure,  but  leisure  is  necessary  to  society. 
North  of  the  Potomac  we  have  few  country  gentle- 
men, and  yet  country  gentlemen  and  their  families 
must  ever  constitute  the  nucleus  of  the  best  society. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  there  is  an  increas- 
ing attrition  between  those  parts  of  our  country 
styled  Northern  and  Southern,  for  their  directions 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  325 

and  the  types  of  their  civilization  are  widely  and 
growingly  different;  climate,  the  style  of  employ- 
ment, the  mode  of  life,  the  forms  of  society,  the  ideals 
of  character  are  producing  their  definite  and  inevit- 
able results. 

If  a  Southern  man  makes  a  fortune  by  trade  or  in  a 
profession,  he  at  once  invests  in  a  plantation  ;  if  he 
reside  in  a  city,  it  is  an  episode  to  afford  the  oppor- 
tunity of  good  schools  to  his  young  children,  or  that 
he  may  attend  to  some  pressing  business ;  but  his  home 
and  his  heart  are  in  the  country,  his  estate  is  his  pride, 
and  m  any  event,  several  months  of  the  year  are  sure 
to  be  passed  there.  Every  gentleman  keeps  open 
libuse.  In  the  coldest  weather  it  is  hardly  allowable 
to  close  the  front  door,  because  it  seems  inhospitable. 
Friends  in  any  number  at  a  time,  and  even  well- 
behaved  strangers,  are  always  welcome.  The  planter 
is  an  early  riser,  and  his  round  of  duties  is  usually 
completed  by  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  ;  thus  he  has  the 
remainder  of  the  day  for  literature  and  society.  His 
first  visit  is  to  the  hospital  of  the  quarter,  to  care  and 
prescribe  for  the  sick ;  next  to  the  nursery  that  he  may 
look  after  the  children,  who  are  in  charge  of  the  old 
niaumas;  then  to  the  fields,  where  the  people  are  at 
work,  or  in  the  fall  of  the  year  to  the  gin-house, 
where  the  cotton  is  being  cleaned  and  baled.  He 
has  labor  enough  to  discipline  his  mind  and  exercise 
Lis  body  ;  imparting  to  both  a  manly  energy  and  easj 


326  TEN    YEARS    OF   PKEACHER-LIFE  ;      OE, 

grace.  He  lives  much  in  the  society  of  women  ;  thus 
his  ways  are  softened  and  refined,  and  as  the  desire  to 
be  agreeable  to  those  with  whom  they  live,  is  an 
instinct  with  women ;  their  constant  and  intimate 
association  with  husband,  father,  brothers,  incites 
them  to  the  study  of  graver  topics,  with  an  interest  in 
higher  themes  than  is  customary  in  our  crowded  and 
hard-driven  society. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  life  of  the  mistress 
of  a  plantation  is  passed  upon  a  bed  of  roses.  Let 
me  sketch  one  of  these  matrons,  and  she  shall  stand  as 
a  representative  of  her  class ;  higher,  it  is  true,  than 
the  average,  but  by  no  means  a  head  and  shoulders 
above  them  all. 

Imagine  a  handsome  and  spacious  mansion  crown- 
ing a  mound  which  lifts  itself  gently  from  a  broad,  al- 
luvial plain.  From  the  observatory  on  the  roof,  you 
may  catch  an  occasional  glimpse  of  the  Black  "Warrior 
River  on  the  east,  and  of  the  Tombigbee  on  the  west, 
as  their  silvery  currents  shimmer  through  the  funereal 
groves  of  cypress  or  fantastic  groups  of  cotton-wood 
which  line  their  banks.  Belts  of  timber  girdle  the 
plain  at  intervals,  marking  the  course  of  meandering 
creeks,  while  the  landscape  gains  additional  interest 
from  the  variety  of  orchards,  fields  of  corn  and  cot- 
ton, and  the  long  row  of  whitewashed  cottages  form- 
ing the  village  of  the  quarter,  nestled  under  the  leafy 
covert  of  the   trees.     That  village  is  inhabited  by 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  327 

several  hundred  negroes,  big  and  little,  all  of  whom 
look  up  to  the  mistress  of  this  mansion  as  to  a  mother. 
She  has  a  large  family  of  boys  and  girls,  whom  she 
is  rearing  in  the  fear  and  love  of  God.  She  super- 
intends the  entire  education  of  her  daughters,  and 
that  of  her  sons  as  well,  until  they  are  prepared  to 
enter  college.  The  clothes  for  her  people,  as  well  as 
for  her  family,  are  all  cut  and  made  under  her  eye. 
Each  negro  on  the  place  has,  besides  his  patch  of 
land  for  vegetables,  a  piece  in  which  he  can  cultivate 
corn  and  cotton  for  himself,  in  his  own  time,  for  Wed- 
nesday and  Saturday,  from  12  m.,  are  a  holiday  on 
every  well  ordered  plantation.  When  the  cotton  is 
ginned  and  weighed,  each  person  receives  from  the 
overseer  a  slip  of  paper,  on  which  is  written  the 
quantity  he  has  produced ;  this  is  carried  to  the  mis- 
tress, who  keeps  a  book  in  which  each  one  is  credited 
with  his  or  her  share.  When  the  cotton  is  sold,  the 
people  receive  their  due  in  money  or  in  such  articles 
as  they  may  have  ordered,  for  the  mistress  attends  to 
the  purchases  for  them  as  carefully  as  for  her  own 
household.  As  colored  people  are  very  fond  of  bar- 
ter, differences  of  opinion  frequently  arise,  which,  as 
among  the  more  highly  civilized  portions  of  man- 
kind, are  apt  to  lead  to  wrangling  and  disputes.  She 
has  therefore  caused  the  village  to  be  erected  into  a 
municipal  corporation,  herself  acting  as  recorder  or 
as  chief  justice  of  the  high  court  of  errors.     An  elec- 


328  TEN    YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  J     OR, 

tion  for  sheriff,  the  only  officer  chosen  by  popular 
suffrage,  is  held  once  in  six  months.  When  a  radical 
and  irreconcilable  difference  of  opinion  arises  be- 
tween any  two  parties  concerning  their  "perdjuce," 
poultry,  or  other  rights  and  belongings,  this  magis- 
trate is  at  once  apprised ;  he  then  informs  the  mis- 
tress, who,  causing  the  parties  to  be  brought  face  to 
face  in  her  presence,  seeks  to  act  as  referee.  If,  how- 
ever, the  matter  cannot  thus  be  adjusted,  the  law  of 
the  commonwealth  requires  that  the  case  shall  pro- 
ceed to  trial.  The  sheriff  summons  a  panel  of  six 
jurors,  to  whom  the  oath  is  administered  that  they 
will  deal  fairly  and  truly,  without  bias  or  prejudice. 
The  chief  justice  is  on  the  bench ;  plaintiff  and  de- 
fendant appear  and  have  right  of  counsel ;  witnesses 
are  examined,  arguments  are  heard,  the  case  summed 
up,  the  charge  given,  and  the  cause  is  submitted  to 
the  six  men  good  and  true ;  their  decision  is  final. 
On  Sunday,  if  there  be  no  preacher  at  hand,  she  has 
religious  service  in  the  quarter,  reading,  then  explain- 
ing and  catechising,  and  joining  devoutly  with  them 
in  their  hymns  and  prayers. 

Thus  it  used  to  be  at  Rose  Mount ;  but,  alas !  the 
people  will  look  up  to  that  mistress  no  more.  I  have 
never  known  a  woman  on  whose  tombstone  the  wise 
man's  description  could  be  more  fitly  graven : 

"  Who  can  find  a  virtuous  woman  ?  for  her  price  is  far  above 
rubies. 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  329 

"The  heart  of  her  husband  doth  safely  trust  in  her,  so  that  he 
shall  have  no  need  of  spoil. 

"  She  will  do  him  good,  and  not  evil,  all  the  days  of  her  life. 

"  She  seeketh  wool,  and  flax,  and  worketh  willingly  with  her 
hands. 

"She  is  like  the  merchant  ships ;  she  bringeth  her  food  from  afar. 

"  She  riseth  also  while  it  is  yet  night,  and  giveth  meat  to  her  house- 
hold, and  a  portion  to  her  maidens. 

"She  considereth  afield  and  buyeth  it:  with  the  fruit  of  her  hands 
she  planteth  a  vineyard. 

"She  girdeth  her  loins  with  strength,  and  strengthened  her 
arms. 

"  She  perceiveth  that  her  merchandise  is  good :  her  candle  goeth 
not  out  by  night. 

"She  layeth  her  hands  to  the  spindle,  and  her  hands  hold  the 
distaff. 

"  She  stretcheth  out  her  hands  to  the  poor  ;  yea,  she  reachoth  forth 
her  hands  to  the  needy. 

"  She  is  not  afraid  of  the  snow  for  her  household ;  for  all  her 
household  are  clothed  with  scarlet. 

"She  maketh  herself  coverings  of  tapestry ;  her  clothing  is  silk 
and  purple. 

"  Her  husband  is  known  in  the  gates,  when  he  sitteth  among  the 
elders  of  the  land. 

"  She  maketh  fine  linen  and  selleth  it,  and  delivereth  girdles  unto 
the  merchant. 

"Strength  and  honor  are  her  clothing ;  and  she  shall  rejoice  in 
time  to  come. 

"She  openeth  her  mouth  with  wisdom  ;  and  in  her  tongue  is  the 
law  of  kindness. 

"  She  looketh  well  to  the  ways  of  her  household,  and  eateth  not 
the  bread  of  idleness. 

"  Her  children  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed  ;  her  husband,  also,  and 
he  praiseth  her. 


330  TEN   YEARS    OF    PRKACIIEE-I.IFK  ;     OR, 

"  Many  daughters  have  done  virtuously,  but  thou  excellest  them 
all." 

I  may  be  allowed  to  sketch  another  Southern 
woman,  the  wife,  not  of  a  planter,  but  of  a  professional 
man.  She  is  a  person  with  the  fine  Grecian  contour 
of  whose  head  and  face,  and  with  whose  stately  figure 
you  never  associate  the  idea  of  age,  but  she  must  be 
approaching  the  forties.  Her  countenance,  I  should 
say,  had  never  been  beautiful,  but  it  is  more,  for  there 
reigns  in  it  the  expression  of  calm,  benignant  wisdom. 
There  is  nothing  of  studied  elegance  in  her  mien  or 
of  statuesque  hauteur  which  often  passes  for  repose 
of  manner,  but  an  indefinable  blending  of  gracious 
kindness  and  simple  dignity,  which  at  once  insures 
your  confidence  and  awakens  your  reverence.  She 
does  not  overawe  you  by  her  learning,  although  she 
has  enough  to  qualify  her  for  a  professor's  chair,  nor 
fascinate  you  by  her  conversation,  albeit  few  people 
talk  as  well ;  she  is  a  finished  woman  of  the  world, 
and  yet  lives  in  a  region  high  above  the  artifices  of 
mere  conventional  life.  In  the  longest  acquaintance 
with  her,  you  never  hear  her  tongue  debased  to 
scandal  or  gossip,  of  which  the  well-bred  are  often  as 
fond  as  the  vulgar ;  yet  is  she  mistress  of  all  the 
lighter  parts  of  conversation  as  well  as  of  the  graver. 
She  never  flatters  you  save  with  that  most  subtle  and 
exquisite  of  all  compliments,  the  interested  and 
appreciative  listening  to  your  discourse,  which  in- 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  331 

spires  you  to  talk  better  with  her  tlian  anywhere  else. 
Servants,  children  and  all  simple  folk  revere  and 
delight  in  her,  while  the  wise  and  great  find  in  her  a 
companion  fit  for  the  fellowship  of  their  selectest 
hours ;  yet  she  is  not  what  is  styled  universally  popu- 
lar, for  she  has  no  magnetism  with  which  to  attract 
the  frivolous,  false  and  foolish.  She  is  not  a  blue 
stocking,  for  there  lives,  not  a  more  thorough  house- 
keeper or  a  more  admirable  cook.  Her  taste  in  dress 
is  faultless,  and  she  possesses  an  artist's  eye  for  the 
harmony  of  colors.  Plato,  Bacon  and  Shakspeare 
are  her  handbooks,  but  she  is  not  above  darning 
stockings,  teaching  her  negroes  to  read  and  write, 
and  in  an  intimacy  of  years,  I  never  saw  her  in  other 
than  an  immaculate  costume.  "With  her  I  began  the 
reading  of  Grote's  "  History  of  Greece,"  as  the  succes- 
sive volumes  made  their  appearance  in  England,  and 
I  am  sure  that  Mr.  Grote  has  never  had  a  more 
appreciative  reader  on  either  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
It  was  she  that  introduced  me  to  Comte's  "  Positive 
Philosophy,"  while  as  yet  it  was  almost  unknown 
either  in  Great  Britain  or  America  (a  capital  prescrip- 
tion by  the  way  for  my  then  transcendental  tenden- 
cies). Her  reading  has  been  wide,  but  more  select 
than  various,  and  she  has  studied  more  than  read. 
"With  an  intellect  in  which  creative  and  reflective 
powers  are  singularly  united  to  administrative 
faculty,  her  highest  praise  is  that  she  is  every  inch 


332  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACTIER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

a  woman.  On  occasion,  she  could  sail  a  ship,  handle  an 
army,  or  administer  the  affairs  of  the  state  or  treasury 
departments,  yet  she  is  the  ideal  of  a  wife,  mistress 
and  friend.  She  will  probably  go  down  to  the  grave 
known  only  to  that  private  circle,  the  measure  of 
whose  reverent  love  for  her  is  gauged  by  the  know- 
ledge of  her  character  and  their  own  capacity  to 
esteem  the  highest  worth  and  loveliness;  but  if  the 
juncture  demanded,  no  woman  of  whom  history  tells 
us  has  played  a  nobler  part  than  she  is  competent 
to  do. 

Next  to  the  Bible,  Shakspeare  is  more  read  in  the 
South  than  any  other  book,  and  old  books  are  usually 
preferred  to  new  ones.  The  mind  of  the  educated 
classes  is  occupied  by  affairs  rather  than  by  the  pro- 
duction of  literature.  An  instinct  for  politics,  and  a 
vivid  interest  in  concerns  of  State,  are  well-nigh  uni- 
versal. Every  gentleman  is  accustomed  to  adminis- 
tration, and  the  management  of  his  plantation  almost 
implies  the  capacity  of  a  statesman.  It  is  a  national 
calamity,  as  well  as  a  misfortune  to  personal  charac- 
ter, in  both  ends  of  the  Republic,  that  a  question  of 
such  magnitude  as  that  of  American  slavery  should  so 
far  degenerate  as  to  have  become  mere  matter  of 
partisan  politics,  a  foot-ball  for  demagogues,  a  fertile 
field  grown  up  in  weeds,  producing  an  exuberant  an- 
nual harvest  of  paradoxes  and  platitudes,  a  theme  the 
discussion  of  which  involves  acrid  disputes  and  vitu- 


CHAPTEKS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  333 

perative  personal  controversies.  To  deal  with  the  fact. 
as  justice  demands  it  should  be  dealt  with,  requires 

candor,  mutual  forbearance,  patience,  courage,  broad 
intelligence,  and  an  enlightened  Christian  conscience ; 
not  the  mind  of  a  fanatic,  or  the  temper  of  a  desper- 
ado. All  the  men  south  of  Mason's  and  Dixon's  line 
are  not  thieves  and  robbers,  any  more  than  all  north 
of  it  are  fools  and  bigots.  This  is  the  one  subject 
upon  which  Southern  people  are  often  unduly  sensi- 
tive, compromising  self-respect  by  inviting  the  views 
of  strangers,  or  making  a  difference  of  opinion  a  per- 
sonal affair.  True,  I  have  seen  them  display  this  weak- 
ness rather  when  in  the  free  States  than  at  home.  I  con- 
fess that  I  perceive  no  reason  why  people  should  not 
discuss  the  question  of  slavery  as  good-naturedly  and 
reasonably  as  any  other,  and  when  this  is  introduced, 
if  a  man  fly  into  a  passion,  or  fall  into  a  style  of  rail- 
ing accusation,  the  conclusion  is  inevitable,  that  his 
cause  is  a  bad  one,  or  else  that  he  is  incompetent  to 
deal  with  it.  The  people  of  the  South  have  been 
grievously  denounced,  their  conduct  and  character 
aspersed  with  the  falsest  and  foulest  of  calumnies. 
I  have  myself  read  and  heard  hundreds  of  public 
statements  concerning  persons  and  events  where  I 
had  been  a  witness  of  the  transaction,  or  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  parties,  and  perceived  that  either 
credulous  ignorance  or  the  spirit  of  gross  perversion 
must  have  fathered  such  stories ;  more  than  this,  1 


334  TEN   YEAES   OF   PKEACHER-LIFE  ;     OK, 

have  known  many  a  case  where  men  and  women 
entered  Southern  homes  as  guests,  or  stayed  in  them 
through  the  courtesy  of  the  owners,  receiving  a 
bountiful  hospitality  and  the  most  generous  treat- 
ment, and  yet  have  repaid  all  this  by  malevolent  mis- 
representations and  slanderous  falsehoods ;  neverthe- 
less, I  have  to  say,  after  a  rather  large  acquaintance 
with  men  and  manners  in  the  South,  that  I  never  heard 
an  uncivil  word  spoken  to  a  stranger,  whether  in  public 
conveyances  or  in  private  relations,  and  that  I  have 
never  witnessed  an  act  or  look  of  rude  suspicion  or 
impertinent  curiosity  touching  a  man's  views  of  the 
peculiar  institution.  On  the  contrary,  if  you  bear 
about  with  you  the  tokens  of  a  gentleman,  I  think  you 
will  agree  with  me  that  there  is  no  country  where  a 
larger  liberty  of  thought  and  expression  is  not 
only  tolerated  in  the  conversation  of  society,  but 
solicited,  and  where  the  most  decisive  individuality 
is  sacred  from  the  attacks  of  inquisitorial  impu- 
dence. 

A  tranquil  self-respect,  secure  in  the  consciousness 
of  its  position,  leisure  attending  upon  labor  that  is 
not  drudgery,  and  upon  energies  that  are  disciplined, 
not  overwrought ;  an  appreciative  love  of  the  best 
books,  and  a  large  experience  of  life ;  courtesy,  not 
the  result  of  conventional  arrangements,  but  the  out- 
growth of  a  genial  nature ;  an  instinct  educated 
within  the  hallowed  circuit  of  the  household,  rever- 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  335 

ence  for  age,  deference  for  woman  and  a  full  liquid 
voice  are  the  constituents  of  the  Lest  society,  such 
as  is  frequently  found  in  the  Southern  States.  All 
who  have  enjoyed  its  advantages  and  who  have  been 
capable  of  appreciating  its  excellence  have  borne 
delighted  testimony  to  its  wondrous  magnetism,  its 
unrivalled  charm. 

The  first  man  who  took  me  by  the  hand  in  Ala- 
bama, was  Phillip  P.  I^eely,  as  generous  and  noble- 
hearted  a  Methodist  preacher  as  breathes.  How  well 
I  remember  our  first  dinner  under  the  hospitable 
roof  of  our  dear  old  Major  Ry land  ;  then  there  was 
Duke  Goodman,  with  the  soul  of  a  prince  and  the 
guileless  heart  of  a  child ;  the  refined  and  urbane 
James  Sanders,  the  frank  and  genial  Price  "Wil- 
liams, and  Col.  Baker,  who  never  heard  a  tale  of 
distress  but  that  his  eyes  overflowed  with  tears, 
and  his  hand  gave  more  dollars  than  his  eyes 
drops,  with  a  host  of  others  in  Mobile  who  came  to 
welcome  me  as  unknown,  and  yet  well  known. 
When  I  went  up  the  country,  there  was  Colonel  Joe 
Hutchinson,  with  a  nature  open  and  benign  as  the 
day,  ever  thenceforth  my  true  yoke-fellow ;  the 
accomplished  and  scholarly  Judge  Ormond;  Governor 
Collier,  the  consistent  and  upright ;  the  jocund,  ■ 
fast  Col.  Garrit ;  the  courtly  and  polished  "Win. 
Henry  Taylor;  my  neighbor  Lewis  Owen,  ui 
ing   in  attentions,  and  unostentatious  in  his  liberal 


336  TEN   TEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

providence  ;  the  impulsive  and  magnanimous  Tom 
Brothers,  Clayton  C.  Gillespie  and  Tom  Foster,  who 
became  to  me  almost  as  sons  in  the  Gospel ;  and  best 
loved  of  all,  my  venerable  friend,  my  second  father, 
L.  Q.  C.  de  Yampert,  whose  house,  heart,  purse  were 
always  open  to  me.  These  and  a  thousand  more 
from  whom  I  received  deeds  and  words  of  loving 
kindness  were  preachers  or  members  of  the  church. 
"When  I  turn  from  them  to  recall  the  names  and 
forms  of  those,  who  though  not  bound  to  me  by  the 
ties  of  church-fellowship,  nevertheless  gave  me  confi- 
dence, cheer  and  love,  and  treated  me  as  if  I  had 
been  bone  of  their  bone  and  flesh  of  their  flesh,  when 
I  look  back  upon  the  six  years  of  my  residence  in 
Alabama  and  remember  how  I  received  good  and 
not  evil  at  the  hands  of  the  people  of  Mobile,  Mont- 
gomery and  indeed  the  entire  State,  through  all  those 
days  ;  I  feel  a  new  thrill  as  I  read  the  words  of  the 
Psalmist,  and  believe  that  I  understand  them  better 
than  before  :  "  If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem,  let  my 
right  hand  forget  her  cunning.  If  I  do  not  remem- 
ber thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my 
mouth." 

"What  man  with  a  soul  in  him  can  wonder  that  I 
cherish  the  recollection  of  my  life  in  the  South,  cr 
that  I  love  and  honor  the  people  there 


CHAPTERS    FKOM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  337 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


TELE   NEGRO. 


Every  stationed  Methodist  preacher  in  the  South 
has  the  cure  not  only  of  the  whites,  but  also  of  the 
colored  people,  and  there  are  usually  more  of  the  lat- 
ter in  his  parish  than  of  the  former.  The  galleries 
of  the  church  are  filled  with  negroes  Sunday 
morning  and  evening,  but  the  preacher  is  also 
expected  to  superintend  the  religious  service  sacred 
to  themselves  in  the  afternoon  ;  preaching  to  them 
as  often  as  his  strength  will  allow,  and  administer- 
ing the  sacraments  once  a  month.  They  have  an 
official  meeting  of  their  own,  composed  of  preachers, 
cxhorters,  stewards  and  leaders,  for  the  transaction 
of  their  own  business,  of  which  he  is  the  chairman, 
one  of  their  own  number  acting  as  secretary.  lie 
sits  as  the  presiding  judge  of  their  church  trials,  and 
if  his  character  be  such  as  to  warrant  the  confidence, 
he  is  usually  the  umpire  to  whom  is  referred  not 
only  the  minor  difficulties  of  the  church  members, 
but  of  the  colored  people  at  large.  He  marries,  bap- 
tizes and  buries  them  ;  visits  them  in  their  houses, 

15 


338  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

comforts  them  in  their  distresses,  prays  with  them 
when  on  beds  of  sickness  ;  is  their  counsellor,  friend 
and  spiritual  guide.  Singularly  trustful  and  simple- 
hearted,  for  the  most  part,  they  admit  him  to  their 
most  sacred  confidence.  From  him,  they  have 
scarce  a  secret.  Few  men,  therefore,  know  the  negro 
so  well  as  the  Methodist  preacher,  and  no  men  are 
to-day  exercising  so  powerful  an  influence  over  negro 
character  in  the  South  as  the  preachers  of  the  Metho- 
dist and  Baptist  denominations.  It  cannot  he  denied 
that  these  are  the  only  bodies  of  Christians  that  are 
doing  much  in  that  most  important  and  desirable  of 
all  mission  fields — the  slave  population  of  our  south- 
ern States.  Here  and  there,  especially  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  cities,  you  may  see  a  colored  Presbyterian 
or  Episcopal  church,  but  from  Delaware  to  Texas, 
from  Florida  to  Missouri,  there  is  scarce  a  plantation 
which  is  not  visited  by  a  Baptist  or  Methodist 
missionary,  and  hardly  a  negro  that  does  not  hear 
the  word  of  life  from  their  lips.  Of  course  I  know 
more  of  the  operations  of  my  own,  than  of  any  other 
church,  and  shall  therefore  confine  my  remarks  to  it. 
Whatever  men  may  think  or  say  as  to  the  political, 
legal,  constitutional,  social,  domestic  or  personal 
aspects  of  slavery,  there  can  be  no  two  opinions 
among  those  who  profess  and  call  themselves 
Christians,  as  to  the  duty  of  preaching  the  Gospel  to 
the  slave,  and  bringing  him  within  the  pale  of  the 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  339 

church.  I  am  proud  to  say  that  Methodism  hat 
this  claim  from  the  beginning,  and  accepting  this  as 
its  special  field,  and  working  with  unwearied  energy, 
has  gathered  therein  its  most  precious  harvest. 
From  the  sickly  rice  fields  and  deadly  soil  of  the 
sea-island  cotton  on  the  coast  of  the  Carol inas  and 
Georgia,  to  the  swamps  of  the  Red  and  Ouachita 
rivers,  over  which  malaria  hangs  as  a  canopy  ;  along 
the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Trinity ;  on 
the  sugar  estates  of  the  Attakapas,  and  the  cotton 
plantations  of  the  Mississippi;  wherever  a  negro 
quarter  rises,  and  the  people  are  toiling  in  furrow, 
brake  or  forest ;  there  you  will  find  my  brethren, 
regardless  of  privation,  hardship,  cold,  heat,  hunger, 
pestilence  and  death  ;  preaching  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ,  and  in  His  name  praying  men  to  be 
reconciled  to  God.  Our  venerable  bishops  and 
junior  preachers,  editors  and  presiding  elders,  men 
of  all  ranks,  ages  and  grades  of  culture,  vie  with  each 
other  in  this,  who  shall  be  first  and  most  efficient  in 
planting  the  cross  of  Christ  in  the  hearts  of  the 
children  of  Ethiopia.  The  saintly  service  is  adorned 
with  the  names  of  such  men  as  Capers,  Andrew, 
Paine,  Pearce  and  Early  among  the  bishops;  Wight- 
man,  Summers,  McFerrin,  Myers,  McTicyre  and 
Rosser  among  the  editors;  Keener,  Jefferson  Hamil- 
ton, Drake,  Winona,  Lovick  Pierce,  Crumley  and 
Walker  among  the  presiding  elders.     Through  the 


340  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;      OR, 

devout  and  self-denying  labors  of  these  men  and 
tlieir  fellows,  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  sons  of 
Ham  have  been  turned  from  darkness  to  light — from 
the  power  of  Satan  unto  God,  and  to-day  have  their 
faces  Zionward ;  while  myriads,  ceasing  at  once  to 
work  and  live,  have  died  in  sure  hope  of  the  inherit- 
ance which  is  incorruptible,  undefined,  and  that 
fadeth  not  away.  All  honor,  say  I,  to  these  servants 
of  the  Master,  who  though  poor  are  yet  making  many 
rich,  and  who  esteem  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater 
riches  than  the  treasures  of  Egypt.  "  They  are  in 
their  duty,  be  out  of  it  who  may." 

You  cannot  live  among  the  negroes  without  loving 
them;  there  is  something  so  genuine,  gentle  and 
docile  in  tlieir  character.  They  overflow  with  sensi- 
bility, and  refined  feeling  seems  to  be  an  instinct 
with  them.  They  are  the  tenderest  and  most  faithful 
nurses  in  the  world,  and  they  possess  a  knack  for 
the  management  of  children.  There  is  something 
exquisite  in  an  old  "mauma's"  manner  of  handling  a 
babe.  A  Highlander  was  never  more  loyal  to  the 
head  of  his  clan,  than  a  family  servant  to  a  good 
master.  The  French  have  not  a  greater  genius  for 
cookery  than  the  negroes. 

Music  seems  their  native  element.  I  do  not 
remember  ever  to  have  seen  a  negro  that  was  not  a 
sweet  singer.  Nothing  can  be  finer  than  to  hear  a 
congregation  of  two  or  three  thousand  of  them  ;  as  at 


CHAPTERS  FROM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      341 

a  camp-meeting,  with  one  heart  and  voice  they  pour 
forth  in  plaintive  or  triumphant  strains  of  their  own 
composition,  hymns  of  praise  to  God.  Never  did  the 
Girondists  chant  the  Marseillaise  with  greater  fervor 
than  I  have  heard  them  sing  the  following  : 

"  Jesus,  my  all,  to  heaven  is  gone, 

And  we  shall  gain  the  victory ; 
He  whom  I  fix  my  hopes  upon, 

And  we  shall  gain  the  victory ; 
His  track  I  see,  and  I'll  pursue 
The  narrow  way,  till  him  I  view ; 

And  we  shall  gain  the  victory ! 
March  on,  march  on,  and  we  shall  gain  the  victory ; 

March  on,  and  we  shall  gain  the  day." 

Tears  would  come  to  the  eyes  as  I  listened  to  the 
plaintive  sweetness  of  the  music  set  to  these  simple 
words : 

"  There's  a  rest  for  the  weary,  there's  a  rest  for  the  weary, 
There's  a  rest  for  the  weary,  where  they  rest  forevermore ; 

"  In  the  fair  fields  of  Eden,  in  the  fair  fields  of  Eden, 
In  the  fair  fields  of  Eden  we'll  rest  forevermore. 

"  I've  a  Saviour  over  yonder,  I've  a  Saviour  over  yonder, 
In  the  fair  fields  of  Eden  we'll  rest  forevermore." 

Or  the  following : 

"  Oh,  brethren,  will  you  meet  me,  oh,  brethren,  will  you  meet  me, 
Where  sorrows  never  come  ?" 

But  the  "  Old  Ship  of  Zion"  is  their  greatest  favorite: 


312  TEN    YEARS    OF   PREACHER-LIFE  |     OR. 

"  What  ship  is  this  that  will  take  us  all  home? 
Glory!  hallelujah! 

'Tis  the  old  ship  of  Zion,  oh,  glory  !  hallelujah! 

But  are  you  sure  she  will  be  able  to  take  us  all  home  ? 

Yes,  glory  !  hallelujah  ! 
She's  landed  many  a  thousand,  and  she'll  land  as  many  more  ; 
King  Jesus  is  the  captain  !  oh,  glory  !  hallelujah !" 

The  unction  with  which  the  words,  "King  Jesus," 
are  pronounced  thrills  you  like  an  electric  shock — for 
it  is  as  a  monarch,  they  most  love  to  think  of  Him. 
Great  tears  are  rolling  down  every  sable  cheek,  while 
every  eye  is  lit  with  joy,  and  you  feel  the  sincerity 
of  their  rapturous  shouts,  "  Oh,  glory,  hallelujah!" 

I  must  be  allowed  to  give  some  account  of  one  of 
our  dear  old  brethren,  whom  I  shall  call  Uncle  Na- 
than. He  was  a  consistent  and  godly  member  of  one 
of  my  societies,  and  being  a  good  judge  of  human 
nature,  chose  my  wife  for  his  confidante.  He  was  a 
venerable  man,  with  a  tall,  erect  figure,  a  dignified 
presence,  a  pleasing  expression  of  countenance,  his 
head  crowned  with  hair  white  as  wool.  He  com- 
pletely won  my  wife's  confidence  and  regard,  and 
they  were  frequently  closeted,  discussing  at  length 
the  matters  which  interested  him.  She  ascertained 
from  some  quarter — not  from  himself,  for  he  had 
never  whispered  it — that  he  was  supplying  two 
worthless  scapegraces,  sons  of  his  former  master, 
with  money,  which  they  spent  in  riotous  living.*  She 
therefore  admonished  him  on  this  point,  saying : 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  313 

"Uncle   Nathan,   you   have    a  wife   and  a    large 

family  dependent  upon  your  exertions.  You  are 
wronging  them  by  giving  your  hard-earned  money 
to  these  wicked  young  men.  It  is  only  helping  them 
in  their  evil  courses." 

"  But,  missis,  they  are  the  sons  of  my  old  master  !" 

"  I  can't  help  that,  Nathan ;  it  is  wrong  for  you 

thus  to  squander  your  money.     They  are  more  able 

to  work  than  you  are,  and  you  must  leave  them  to 

themselves." 

"  "Well,  missis,  if  I  must  I  must ;  so  I'll  tell  you 
how  it  is.  You  see,  my  old  muster  and  me  was  mar- 
ried about  the  same  time,  and  our  first  children  was 
born  purty  near  together ;  for  my  Sally  and  young 
master  Jack  is  about  of  an  age.  My  old  master  and 
me  happened  to  be  out  in  the  field  together  just 
about  that  time,  and  he  says  to  me,  'Nathan,  we  was 
children  and  boys  together,  and  growed  up  side  by 
side.  Do  you  love  me,  Nathan  V  He  was  always  a 
good  master  to  me,  missis,  and  I  always  did  love  him, 
and  so  I  told  him  yes.  Then  says  he,  '  Nathan,  I 
want  to  make  a  compack  with  you.  Your  free 
papers,  and  your  wife's,  is  lying  in  my  drawer  ;  they 
were  made  out  the  day  your  child  was  born,  and 
you  can  have  them  whenever  von  please.  N<>w, 
Nathan,  I  promise  you  most  solemnly  before  God,  that 
if  I  live  longer  than  you  do,  I  will  look  after  your 
wife  and  child,  and  they  shall  never  want  for  any- 
thing.    And  I  want  you  to  promise  me  that  if  you 


344  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER- LIFE  ;     OR, 

live  longer  than  I  do,  you  will  do  the  same  by 
mine.'  So  we  took  off  our  hats,  missis,  out  there  in 
the  field,  and  took  a  hold  of  each  other's  hands,  and 
promised  each  other  solemnly  before  God  and  the 
holy  angels.  He  was  a  rich  man,  and  I  was  free  ; 
but  I  never  left  him.  He  lived  a  good  while  after 
that,  and  was  always  kind  to  me  and  mine.  At  last 
he  died,  and  somehow  or  other  the  old  missis  and  the 
boys  got  through  with  the  property  mighty  fast,  and 
so  it  was  all  clean  gone.  Now,  missis,  don't  you 
think  it  is  my  duty  to  take  care  of  them  ?  They're 
poor,  helpless  things,  and  they  haint  no  one  else  to 
look  to."  And  the  old  man's  voice  was  choked' as 
big  tears  rolled  from  his  eyes. 

Sure  enough,  he  did  take  care  of  them.  Both 
those  young  men  died  drunkards,  and  their  mother's 
grey  hairs  were  brought  down  in  sorrow  to  the  grave. 
She  would  have  died  in  the  poor-house,  and  they 
would  have  been  buried  like  paupers,  but  for  Uncle 
Nathan,  who  fulfilled  his  word  to  the  letter. 

One  of  our  old  preachers  had  been  a  hereditary 
slaveholder  in  his  early  life.  One  of  his  servants 
was  a  zealous  local  preacher  long  before  his  conver- 
sion, and  to  the  ministry  of  this  man  he  owed  his 
awakening.  Some  time  after  he  joined  the  church, 
Jake  said  to  him  : 

"  Mass  Kitty,*  I  think  you's  called  to  preach,  and 

*  Kitty  is  the  negro  abbreviation  of  Christopher. 


CHAPTERS  FKOM  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.      345 

I'sc  gwine  to  give  out  an  appintment  for  you  at  dc 

old  schoolhouse,  to  hole  forf  nex  Sunday  arternoon 
a  week." 

The  master  protested  his  inability  to  preach,  and 
endeavored  in  every  way  to  evade  the  responsibility  ; 
but  Jake  was  inflexible. 

"  De  Lord  hears  prayer :  claim  de  promise,  Mass 
Kitty,"  said  he.  "  Don't  be  afeard ;  open  your  mout 
and  de  Lord  '11  fill  it.  '  Out  of  de  mout  of  babes  and 
suckling  he's  ordained  praise.'  " 

At  length  it  was  arranged  that  the  master  should 
make  the  effort ;  but  Jake  was  to  sit  behind  him  in 
the  pulpit,  and  in  case  the  former  broke  down,  the 
latter  was  to  rise  and  finish  the  discourse.  Nerved 
for  the  trial  by  their  common  devotional  exercises, 
the  master  was  succeeding  very  well  with  his  ser- 
mon, when  suddenly,  self-consciousness  obtruded 
itself,  and  as  he  thought  where  he  was  and  what  he 
was  doing,  his  heart  failed,  he  stammered  and  turned 
pale.  Casting  an  imploring  look  at  Jake,  he  said,  in 
a  tremulous  voice : 

"  I  must  stop  ;  do  get  up  and  conclude." 

The  servant  had  been  listening  with  intense  inter- 
est, breathing  frequent  and  fervent  prayers  for  his 
master's  success,  until  now  his  sympathies  were 
wrought  up  to  the  highest  pitch.  Springing  to  his 
feet,  he  slapped  his  master  on  the  shoulder,  exclaim- 
ng,  at  the  top  of  his  voice  : 

15* 


346  TEN    YKAKS    OF    PKEACHEli-LIFE  ;     OK, 

"Go  on,  Mass  Kitty — go  on.  Te  preach  right 
well,  ye  do,  considering  it's  nobody  but  you  I" 

The  master,  feeling  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach,  set 
his  temporal  affairs  in  order,  manumitted  his  slaves, 
and  entered  the  Itineracy.  After  an  absence  of  two 
years,  he  returned  to  visit  the  neighborhood,  and  the 
first  man  he  met  on  the  road  was  Jake,  who  had  re- 
mained on  "  the  old  stamping  ground."  The  em- 
braces of  the  old  friends  were  hearty  and  affectionate. 
The  bridle  fell  from  the  rider's  hand,  and  he  leaned 
forward  on  the  horse's  neck,  while  Jake's  arm  was 
about  him,  and  his  own  around  Jake,  as  they  talked 
over  the  events  that  had  occurred  since  they  parted. 
Finally,  the  master  said,  his  voice  trembling  with 
religious  emotion  : 

"  Well,  Jake,  my  brother,  how  do  you  come  on 
down  at  the  old  schoolhouse  ?  You  sing  and  pray 
as  much  as  ever,  and  get  happy  in  prospect  of  im- 
mortality and  eternal  life  ?" 

This  appeal  touched  the  negro  in  his  tenderest  part. 
Straightening  himself,  while  his  face  glowed  with 
unspeakable  delight,  he  cried  with  vehemence : 

"  Take  care  your  horse,  Mass  Kitty — take  care 
your  horse,  or  he'll  be  skeert,  for  I  feel  the  shout  a 
coming."  And  having  given  this  timely  warning, 
he  clapped  his  hands  in  a  jubilant  shout,  "  Glory  to 
God — yes,  I'm  on  my  journey  home." 

Negroes  are  rather  fond  of  litigation,  and  church 


CHAl'TKRS    FEOM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  34:7 

trials  are  frequent  among  them.  I  recollect  one 
where  I  presided.  A  bright,  strapping  fellow,  him- 
self not  a  member  of  the  church,  had  preferred 
charges  of  unchaste  conduct  against  one  of  my  mem- 
bers, a  damsel,  who  had  otherwise  a  good  report. 
Charges  and  specifications  were  served  in  due  form, 
the  time  fixed  for  the  investigation,  the  colored 
officiary  was  summoned  and  the  issue  made.  Jim, 
who  was  the  dining-room  servant  of  a  distinguished 
lawyer,  and  had  picked  up  some  scraps  of  law, 
appeared  himself  as  prosecutor ;  Aunt  Nancy,  the 
girl's  mother,  sat  by  the  side  of  her  child. 

"  Aunt  Nancy,"  said  I,  "  have  you  counsel,  or  do 
you  wish  for  any  ?" 

"No,  sir,"  she  replied;  "I  trust  in  dc  character 
of  my  child,  and  in  King  Jesus ;  I'm  sure  that  he'll 
bring  out  all  for  de  best." 

It  appeared,  in  evidence,  that  Jim,  the  plaintiff, 
had  been  a  persistent  suitor  for  the  hand  of 
Emily,  the  defendant;  she  had  refused  his  pre- 
sence, refused  to  hearken  to  his  importunity,  and 
he  had  vowed  to  ruin  her  character.  Witnesses  for 
the  prosecution  were  skillfully  examined  by  Jim, 
who  ventilated  rumors  and  hinted  suspicions 
against  the  girl,  but  nothing  more,  and  it  became 
partly  evident  that  the  whole  affair  was  instigated  by 
malice  and  supported  by  falsehood;  nevertheless, 
Jim's  effrontery  in  the  examination  of  witnesses  and 


3i8  TEN    YEARS   OF   PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

in  his  argument,  would  have  done  credit  to  a  "  New 
York  Shyster."  ":<"     It  was  now  Nancy's  turn. 

"  Have  you  anything  to  say  ?"  I  asked.  "  Not 
much,"  replied  the  infirm  old  woman,  as  she  rose 
and  stood,  one  hand  leaning  on  her  staff,  the  other 
on  the  shoulder  of  her  child.  "All  you  brevren 
know  me,  and  have  knowed  me  for  many  a  year,  and 
ye  know  that  I  would  not  lie.  Now  listen  to  what 
I'm  gwine  to  say :  Dis  is  my  dorter,  de  only  child 
left  out  ov  ten ;  de  rest,  bless  de  Lord,  is  safe  in  de 
kingdom,  whar  dey  shall  go  out  no  more  forever. 
Most  of  you  are  fathers  and  you  know  what  it  is  to 
love  a  child;  that  is,  you  know  all  that  men  can 
know.  But  you  can't  begin  to  know  what  a  woman 
feels  for  her  darling.  This  is  my  child,  and  she  has 
slept  in  my  bosom  every  night  since  she  was  born ; 
she  is  eighteen  now.  She  joined  the  church  several 
years  ago.  She's  a  consistent  Christian,  and  is  walk- 
ing hand  in  hand  with  me  on  the  road  that  leads  to 
the  land  of  everlasting  rest.  I've  watched  her  as  an 
old  hen,  tied  to  a  stake,  watches  her  only  chicken.  I 
know  her  through  and  through,  and  I  know  that 
these  things  that  Jim  has  brought  against  her  aru 
mean,  dirty  lies.  Jim's  smart,  but  not  as  smart  as  he 
thinks  he  is ;  for  the  liar  will  be  caught  in  his  own 

*  A  class  of  ghouls,  self-styled  lawyers,  haunting  the  "Tomb3" 
and  practising  in  the  Police  Courts  held  in  that  great  prison. 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  340 

trap,  and  'the  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell  with 
all  the  nations  that  forget  God.'  Yes,  Jim,  you've 
lied,  and  done  the  dirtiest  thing  that  ever  a  man  could 
try  to  do  :  tried  to  take  away  the  character  of  one  that 
you  knew  was  an  innocent  and  virtuous  girl.  You 
haven't  proved  a  single  thing  against  my  child,  and 
you  couldn't.  The  devil  put  you  up  to  this  revenge, 
and  if  you  don't  look  out,  he'll  get  you  for  your 
pains.  But,  Jim,  I  won't  curse  you,  though  you've 
tried  to  break  my  heart.  I  forgive  you,  you  poor 
miserable  sinner,  because  the  Bible  says :  '  Be  not 
overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with  good.' 
I'll  pray  for  you,  Jim ;  but  I  never  want  to  see  you 
again  in  this  world,  for  you've  done  my  child  a  great 
wrong.  A  lie  travels  faster  and  further  than  the 
truth,  and  many  a  one  will  hear  of  your  charge  that 
won't  hear  that  it  wasn't  sustained.  A  good  reputa- 
tion is  more  precious  to  a  woman  than  diamonds. 
Though  I  don't  want  to  see  you  again  in  this  world, 
Jim,  I  hope  we'll  meet  in  Heaven."  Jim  couldn't 
stand  this ;  and,  as  the  old  woman  sat  down,  burst  into 
tears,  fell  upon  his  knees,  and  confessed  that  the 
whole  story  was  an  infamous  slander,  vowing  that 
from  that  time  forth,  he  would  try  to  be  a  Christian, 
that  he  might  at  last  meet  her  on  Canaan's  happy 
shore. 

If  I  have  succeeded  in  reproducing  feebly  the  old 
woman's  speech,  the  reader  will  observe  the  illustra- 


350  TEN    YEARS    OF   TREACUER-LIFE  J     OR, 

tion  of  a  remarkable  fact :  the  power  of  deep,  excited 
feeling  to  correct  the  language,  elevate  the  style,  and 
impart  a  force  and  vividness  of  expression  otherwise 
impossible. 

Whatever  may  be  the  issue  of  the  slavery  agita- 
tion, one  thing  is  certain,  and  upon  this  I  must  be 
permitted  to  speak  an  earnest  word.  The  duties  of 
the  white  race  toward  the  negro,  are  not  duly  recog- 
nized. It  were  a  truism  to  affirm  that  he  is  a  human 
being ;  but  it  would  not  be  impertinent  to  ask  if  he 
is  treated  as  one.  The  first  and  most  imperative 
demand  which  justice  makes  of  the  people  of  the 
southern  States  is  the  passage  of  laws  forbidding 
the  separation  of  man  and  wTife,  of  parents  and  child- 
ren. Such  rending  asunder  of  the  holiest  bonds  of 
our  nature  should  not  be  allowed,  cannot  without 
incurring  the  dread  anathema  of  a  Christian  civiliza- 
tion  and  the  righteous  indignation  of  God.  Let  no 
embittered  sectional  controversy,  let  no  exciting  poli- 
tical contest  be  used  as  an  excuse  to  delay  action,  or 
hinder  this  consummation  so  devoutly  to  be  wished. 
Loyalty  to  the  South,  to  its  sentiments,  reason,  con- 
science, demands  the  definite  legal  recognition  of  the 
negro  as  a  human  being,  and  of  his  family  as  sacred 
and  inviolate.  "Worthy  of  immortal  honor  shall  those 
men  be  that  compass  this  end  ! 

If  I  turn  from  the  other  end  of  the  Union  to  this, 
I  see  the  negro  a  Pariah,  supine  beneath  the  ban  of 


CHAPTERS   FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  351 

caste,  stricken  by  the  contempt,  or  stolid  from  the 
indifference  of  the  greater  portion  of  the  community. 
He  is  degraded  by  the  vulgar  and  abominable  appella- 
tion— "  nigger."  If  he  take  a  seat  in  a  car  or  stage, 
his  white  fellow-passengers  change  their  places  with 
eager  haste,  avoiding  contact  with  him  as  if  his  pre- 
sence brought  loathsome  contagion.*  He  is  shunned 
as  a  thing  unclean.  If  a  professed  friend  of  his 
race  summon  sufficient  moral  courage  to  shake  hands 
with  him,  there  is  apt  to  be  a  condescension  in 
the  act,  which  is  in  itself  an  insult ;  and  if  you 
watch  the  hand-shakers  narrowly,  you  will  probably 
observe  the  white  man  slily  wiping  his  dextral 
extension  as  if  the  black  man's  had  left  a  stain  upon 
it.  The  negro  is,  as  I  have  said,  a  being  of  pecu- 
liarly fine  sensibilities  ;  indeed,  I  presume  I  might 
say  with  justice,  possessing  the  finest  sensibilities  of 
any  race  upon  earth  in  its  condition.  Without  sym- 
pathy, he  is  a  cypher  or  worse  ;  he  must  be  educated 
through  his  genial  and  generous  affections,  his  rights 

One  is  always  reminded  upon  such  occasions  of  the  justice  of 
Sidney  Smith's  witty  reply  to  Mr.  Webster.  "  How  is  it,  Mr.  Web- 
ster," said  the  reverend  philosopher,  "  that  the  Americans  in  the  free 
States  treat  the  negroes  so  badly?"  Mr.  Webster,  willing  to  waive 
the  discussion  of  the  subject,  answered  jocosely,  "The  truth  is,  we 
can  hardly  do  otherwise,  they  have  such  a  bad  smell."  "  A  great 
people  like  yours,"  replied  Smith,  "  should  not  be  turned  aside  from 
justice  and  be  led  by  the  nose  in  that  way." 


352  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;     OR, 

must  be  guaranteed  to  him,  not  grudgingly  or  of 

necessity,  but  with  hearty  warmth  and  benignant 
kindness.  It  will  be  some  time  before  he  is  raised  to 
the  level  of  a  perfect  human  being — indeed,  before 
any  of  us  reach  that  enviable  station. — Meanwhile  let 
every  man,  whether  Abolitionist,  Conservative  or 
Fire-eater,  bear  in  mind  that  this  nation  o"\ves  an  infi- 
nite debt  to  the  negro,  and  that  it  is  our  solemn  duty 
to  do  what  in  our  power  lies,  not  by  idle  boast  or 
braggart  vaunt,  fierce  tirade  or  empty  profession, 
but  by  earnest,  affectionate  good  will  and  effort  to 
secure  his  temporal  and  eternal  welfare. 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  353 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


FLIGHT   FOR   LIFE. 


I  went  to  the  South  in  pursuit  of  health  and 
strength,  but  it  will  not  require  much  sagacity  to 
perceive  from  the  hints  which  have  been  given  of 
my  way  of  life,  that  I  did  not  find  them.  It  was 
necessary  for  me  several  times  to  quit  home,  that  I 
might  overcome  languor  and  recruit  my  energies  in  the 
more  bracing  atmosphere  of  the  North. 

The  approach  of  summer  was  always  as  the  com- 
ing of  a  strong  man  armed,  and  frequently  I  was 
compelled  to  flee  almost  for  life.  Lassitude,  which 
often  amounted  to  utter  prostration,  prevented  my 
enjoyment  of  that  season  so  delicious  on  our  gulf 
coast,  which  poets  have  evev  b'een  wont  to  sing,  and 
which  none  of  them  have  more  happily  described 
than  Solomon  : 

"  Lo,  the  winter  is  past,  the  rain  is  over  and  gone. 

"  The  flowers  appear  on  the  earth  ;  the  time  of  the  singing  of  birds 
is  come,  and  the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our  land. 

"  The  fig-tree  puttcth  forth  her  green  figs,  and  the  vines  with  the 
tender  grape  give  a  good  smell." 


35  i  TEN    TEARS    OF   PREACIIER-LIFE  ',     OR, 

Li  the  course  of  one  of  my  northward  flights 
which  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1850,  I  formed  some 
acquaintances  and  revived  some  old  associations,  the 
reminiscence  of  which  will  ever  he  grateful.  I 
made  the  voyage  from  New  Orleans  to  St.  Louis  in 
company  with  a  large  numher  of  the  prominent 
ministers  of  our  church,  who  were  on  their  way 
to  attend  a  session  of  the  General  Conference  to 
assemble  in  the  last  named  place.  The  man  of  the 
party  in  whom  I  felt  the  deepest  interest,  was  the 
venerable  Dr.  William  Winans,  who  joined  us  at 
Natchez. 

An  Englishman,  accustomed  to  the  trim  white 
neck-tie,  the  cassock  vest  and  shiny  black  suit  of  the 
professional  costume  at  home,  could  scarce  have 
guessed  from  his  appearance,  that  the  old  man  was  a 
preacher.  The  commanding  height  of  his  large  mus- 
cular figure,  was  surmounted  by  a  broad-brimmed 
white  beaver,  and  he  was  clad  in  brown  jeans,  while 
his  throat  had  not  the  slightest  covering  except  the 
collar  of  his  shirt.  You  saw  at  a  glance  that  he  was 
a  backwoodsman,  but  one  of  the  finest  type.  His 
face  was  bronzed  by  exposure  and  withal  seamed 
with  countless  wrinkles.  As  you  looked  at  the  lines 
about  his  mouth,  you  were  in  doubt  whether  iron 
resolution  or  genial  kindness  were  the  prevailing 
expression,  but  as  you  caught  the  warm  sunny  light, 
which  beamed  from  his  rather  small  grey  eyes,  you 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  355 

felt  that  the  casting  vote  was  given  in  favor  of  the 
latter.  I  at  once  devoted  myself  to  this  veteran, 
whose  name  had  been  familiar  as  a  household  word 
from  infancy,  and  we  were  inseparable  for  the  rest 
of  the  voyage.  I  have  seldom  enjoyed  a  week  more 
than  that,  notwithstanding  it  was  a  cholera  season  on 
the  Mississippi,  and  that  the  pestilence  was  daily 
numbering  some  of  our  fellow-passengers  as  its  vic- 
tims. Day  by  day  the  boat  would  lie  to  and  be 
made  fast  to  the  shore,  while  one  or  more  rude  boxes, 
hastily  constructed  by  the  boat's  carpenter,  were 
carried  to  land,  a  pit  hollowed  out,  the  burial  service 
read,  and  they  were  left  to  return  to  the  dust  from 
whence  they  were  taken. 

I  suppose  that  I  must  have  a  constitutional  in 
ceptibility  to  epidemic  diseases;  at  all  events,  this 
close  neighborhood  of  the  plague  did  not  affect  my 
regained  appetite,  nor  interfere  with  the  delight  I 
experienced  in  the  society  of  the  pioneer  preacher, 
lie  had  looked  upon  death  so  often  and  in  so  many 
awful  forms,  that  he  did  not  dread  it  now ;  our  con- 
versation, therefore,  was  scarce  suspended  except  for 
visits  to  the  sick  or  to  attend  the  burials,  or  when 
the  tolling  bell  announced  that  another  spirit  had 
departed.  lie  had  begun  life  as  a  blacksmith,  in  tin; 
Northwestern  Territory,  and  in  time  became  one  of 
Bishop  Asbury's  preachers.  There  was  hardly  an 
inhabited  nook  or  corner  in  the  great  valley  of  the 


356  TEN    YEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  ;    OR, 

West,  which  lie  had  not  visited  to  proclaim  the  glad 
tidings ;  but  his  special  work  had  lain  in  the  newly 
opened  plantations  of  the  Southwest.  His  life  had 
been  a  hard  one,  but  his  manners  were  cmiet  and 
refined,  showing  that  labor  and  hardship  had  not 
crisped  or  soured  his  temper.  His  voice  was 
peculiarly  sweet  and  soft,  and  I  shall  never  forget 
the  way  in  which  he  would  say,  "  My  son."  "  Why 
do  you  not  wear  a  neckerchief,  doctor  ?"  "  Because 
it  gave  me  the  bronchitis ;  I  wore  one  when  I  came  as 
a  young  man  into  the  settled  and  civilized  parts  of 
the  country,  but  discovered  before  long,  that  it  was  a 
halter  which  was  choking  me ;  so  I  tore  it  off  and 
threw  it  away.  When  I  married,  my  wife  thought 
that  a  man  could  hardly  be  a  minister,  unless  he 
wore  a  neckerchief;  to  please  her,  I  put  it  on  again, 
but  was  not  three  months  older,  when  I  discovered 
that  my  throat  was  becoming  seriously  affected,  and 
that  I  must  either  give  up  my  voice  or  my  cravat. 
It  is  my  opinion  that  these  starched,  stiff  choke-rags 
which  clergymen  call  the  badge  of  their  profession, 
together  with  reading  sermons,  are  the  cause  of  the 
throat  disease,  styled  the  minister's  complaint,  and  I 
am  sure  that  if  they  would  pitch  them  to  the  dogs, 
and  preach  off-hand,  you  would  never  hear  of  another 
case  of  bronchitis  in  the  pulpit."  He  mentioned  two 
instances  which  illustrate  the  impressible  nature  of 
young  men,  and  indicate  the  origin  of  many  of  the 


CHAPTERS    FROM    AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY;.  357 

bad  habits  of  public  speakers.  One  of  his  presiding 
elders,  not  knowing  what  to  do  with  his  right  hand 
while  preaching,  was  accustomed  to  place  it  behind 
him,  and  afford  it  occupation  in  twisting  off  the 
buttons  from  the  back  of  his  coat.  Another  of  his 
seniors  was  a  little  hard  of  hearing,  and  to  catch  the 
sound  of  his  own  voice  more  distinctly,  would  put 
his  right  hand  around  his  ear,  thus  forming  a  concave 
mirror  to  collect  the  reverberated  sound. 

Young  Winans,  from  sheer  admiration  for  these 
his  elders  and  betters,  quite  unconsciously 'adopted 
these  pleasing  and  graceful  attitudes  and  occupations, 
and  when  admonished  by  some  judicious  friends, 
could  scarcely  believe  that  he  had  fallen  into  such 
practices  it  required  the  care  of  months  to  desist  from. 

As  we  sat  upon  the  hurricane  deck  of  our  proud 
steamer  at  sunset,  or  deep  in  the  night,  talking  of  old 
times,  of  the  hardships  which  our  men  endured,  and 
of  the  labors  which  they  performed,  my  breast 
glowed  with  pride  at  the  thought  that  I  was  counted 
worthy  to  belong  to  an  army  which  had  numbered 
such  heroes  in  its  ranks.  It  is  impossible  to  exagge- 
rate either  their  toils,  their  sufferings,  or  their  suc- 
cesses. I  cannot  state  the  case  better  than  in  using  the 
language  of  a  friend.*  "When  Methodism  began  to 
spread  in  America,  converts  rapidly  multiplied  under 

*  The  Rev.  J.  B.  Hagany,  in  his  article  on  John  Wesley,  in 
"  Ilarper's  Magazine." 


358  TEN    YKARS    OF    TREACIIER-LIFE  ;     OK, 

the  missionaries  sent  out  by  "Wesley,  and  the  neces- 
sity for  more  preachers  was  greater  than  the  supply. 
Almost  anything  that  offered  was  accepted.  Few 
had  any  acquaintance  with  English  grammar,  others 
could  not  write  their  names,  and  some  could  scarcely 
read.  Good  lungs,  a  loose  tongue,  personal  piety, 
zeal  that  could  dare  the  rigors  of  a  northern  winter, 
or  the  ardor  of  a  southern  sun,  joined  to  about  as 
much  theological  knowledge  as  that  a  man  must 
mend,  or  the  devil  will  away  with  him,  made  up  the 
sum  total  necessary  to  a  beginning.  Thus  equipped 
and  mounted  on  horseback,  these  men  penetrated 
every  State  and  territory  of  the  land,  enduring  the 
hardest  fare,  sleeping  in  the  woods,  chased  by  wolves, 
pounced  on  by  panthers,  laughed  at,  pelted  with  rot- 
ten eggs,  stoned  and  beaten  by  the  motley  crews  who 
composed  their  congregations.  Yet  they  were  suc- 
cessful in  thousands  of  real  conversions.  Following 
the  tide  of  emigration  westward,  their  plain  preach- 
ing kept  the  religious  sentiment  alive,  and  thus  laid 
a  sure  foundation  for  civil  government  in  the  western 
mind,  which  otherwise  had  degenerated  to  the  savage 
State.  It  is  illustrative  of  the  vital  power  of  the 
Gospel,  that  its  elementary  truths,  earnestly  delivered 
by  men  who  knew  no  more  of  general  literature  than 
the  horses  they  rode,  led  the  worst  classes  of  society 
from  the  most  dissolute  to  the  most  moral  and  orderly 
habits  of  life.     Francis  Asbury  was  the  ruling  spirit 


CHAPTEKS  FKOM  AN  ACTOBIOGKAPHY.      359 

among  the  American  Methodists;  their  first  bishop, 
with  a  continent  for  a  diocese,  and,  for  labors,  Buffer- 
ings and  success,  unsurpassed  by  any  name  in  modern 
Christianity.  Washington  was  not  hotter  entitled  to 
he  called  the  father  of  his  country  than  Francis 
Asbury  its  apostle." 

Poor  and  unlearned  as  these  men  were,  they  wrere 
yet,  according  to  their  means,  the  munificent  patrons 
of  learning ;  for  by  their  gifts  and  energy  our  schools 
and  colleges  were  established.  Many  of  them  became 
themselves  admirable  scholars,  and  made  an  ample 
provision  for  the  future,  that  their  successors  should 
not  want  the  means  of  liberal  education.  They  were 
generous  with  the  little  money  which  they  received, 
as  they  were  magnanimous  in  the  use  of  health  and 
life.  Of  them  it  might  be  said,  what  the  great  apos- 
tle spake  of  himself:  "In  all  things  they  approved 
themselves  the  ministers  of  God ;  in  much  joatience, 
in  afflictions,  in  necessities,  in  distresses,  in  stripes,  in 
imprisonments,  in  tumults,  in  labors,  in  watchings,  in 
fastings  ;  by  pureness,  by  long  suffering,  by  kindness, 
by  the  Iloly  Ghost,  by  love  unfeigned,  by  the  word 
of  truth,  by  the  power  of  God,  by  the  armor  of 
righteousness  on  the  right  hand,  and,  on  the  left,  by 
honor  and  dishonor;  by  evil  report  and  good  report: 
as  deceivers,  and  yet  true;  as  unknown,  and  yet  well 
known  ;  as  dying,  and  behold  they  live  ;  as  chastened, 
and  not  killed  ;  as  sorrowful,  yet  always  rejoicing  * 


360  TEN    TEARS    OF    PREACHER-LIFE  |     OR, 

as  poor,  yet  making  many  rich ;  as  having  nothing, 
and  yet  possessing  all  things." 

As  setting  forth  the  more  cheerful  side  of  their 
character,  I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  use  the 
language  of  another  of  my  friends,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Stevens,  whose  history  of  Methodism  is  probably  the 
most  brilliant  production  in  literature  to  which  the 
mind  of  our  church  has  yet  given  birth.  "  Notwith- 
standing their  many  hardships,  the  early  Methodist 
preachers  were  notable  as  a  cheerful,  if  not,  indeed, 
a  humorous  class  of  men.  Their  hopeful  theology, 
their  continual  success,  their  conscious  self-sacrihce 
for  the  good  of  others,  the  great  variety  of  characters 
they  met  in  their  travels,  and  their  habit  of  self- 
accommodation  to  all,  gave  them  an  ease,  a  hoiv- 
homie,  which  often  took  the  form  of  jocose  humor; 
and  the  occasional  morbid  minds  among  them  could 
hardly  resist  the  infectious  example  of  their  happier 
brethren.  "While  they  were  as  earnest  as  men  about 
to  meet  death,  and  full  of  the  tenderness  which  could 
'  weep  with  those  who  wept,'  no  men  could  better 
'rejoice  with  those  who  rejoiced.'  They  were  usu- 
ally the  best  story-tellers  on  their  long  circuits,  and 
of  course  had  abundance  of  their  own  adventures  to 
relate  at  the  hearths  and  tables  of  their  hosts.  Not  a 
few  of  them  became  noted  as  wits,  in  the  best  sense 
of  the  term,  and  were  by  their  repartees,  as  well  as 
their  courage  and  religious  earnestness,  a  terror  to 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN   AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  361 

evil-doers.  The  American  Methodist  preachers  were 
the  greatest  wits  of  the  last  century  in  the  New 
World ;  the  fact  is  historical,  whether  it  be  esteemed 
creditable  or  not ;  and,  rightly  considered,  it  is  far 
from  discreditable.  If  few  men  could  better  relish 
innocent  humor,  few  were  more  devout,  few  greater 
laborers  or  greater  sufferers." 

It  is  not  unusual  for  the  polite  literature  of  the 
time  to  sneer  at,  or  to  satirize  and  caricature  the  Christ- 
ian ministry.  I  do  not  remember  the  worthy  por- 
traiture of  a  single  preacher  of  righteousness  in  the 
writings  of  Mr.  Thackeray,  or  Mr.  Dickens,  or  in  those 
of  Mr.  George  "W.  Curtis,  one  of  our  own  rising  young 
authors.  They  have  favored  the  world  with  pictures 
of  the  Stigginses,  Chadbands,  Honeymans,  Cream- 
cheeses,  and  Peewees  of  their  acquaintance  :  perhaps 
they  have  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  possess  none 
other.  If  so,  I  am  sorry  for  them.  But  let  me 
assure  them,  and  all  who  think  as  they  seem  to  think, 
that  while  there  may  be  unworthy  members  of  the 
clerical  profession ;  for  patient  toil  and  disinterested 
labor,  for  self-sacrifice  extending  through  life,  for 
brave  and  cheerful  performance  of  duty,  that  profes- 
sion stands  unrivalled,  un approached  in  the  annals 
of  the  world.  I  submit,  if  it  be  fair  in  art,  to  repre- 
sent a  class  by  an  exception,  or  to  stigmatize  those, 
who,  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  written 
against  priestcraft,  the  tyranny  and  superstition  of 

16 


362  TEN   TEARS    OF    PREACUKR-LIFE  ;     OR, 

the  clergy,  have,  nevertheless,  been  in  every  age  the 
best  friends  of  their  kind,  and  in  no  age  more  truly 
than  in  our  own. 

Shall  the  hive  be  denounced  because  it  contains 
solitary  drones  ?  or  the  entire  literary  profession  held 
up  to  ridicule,  because  it  may  happen  to  have  snobs  or 
tuft-hunters,  or  rogues  in  its  ranks  ?  I  claim  for  my 
brethren  no  exclusive  sanctity ;  I  ask  no  tribute  for 
them  which  is  not  justified  by  their  courage,  honor, 
fidelity,  their  love  of  man,  and  fear  of  God  ;  and  the 
worst  wish  I  cherish  for  those  who  have  been,  uncon- 
sciously or  not,  their  detractors,  is,  that  they  may  die 
as  happily.  "  Our  people  die  well,"  said  Mr.  Wes- 
ley. And  his  own  last  words,  echoed  by  thousands 
of  his  sons  in  the  Gospel  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlan- 
tic, in  their  final  hour,  were,  "  The  best  of  all  is, 
God  is  with  us." 

My  venerable  friend,  Dr.  "Winans,  closed  his  long 
and  eventful  career  two  years  ago,  while  I  was 
abroad.  I  have  never  learned  the  particulars  of  his 
death,  only  this,  that  his  end  was  peace. 

My  various  efforts  to  regain  health  while  residing 
in  the  South  were  futile,  and  at  length,  toward  the 
close  of  a  six  years'  residence  there,  in  the  summer 
of  1853,  the  physicians  assured  me  that  I  had  no 
alternative  but  to  leave  the  country  or  die.  The 
climate  had  made  fearful  inroads  upon  my  system, 
my  physique  was  utterly  prostrated,  and  my  mind 


CHAPTERS    FROM   AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  3G3 

almost  a  wreck.  I  could  barely  drag  one  foot  after 
the  other,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I  could  re- 
member my  own  name.  "With  a  sad  and  heavy 
heart  I  turned  my  back  upon  my  adopted  home,  and 
by  slow  and  easy  stages,  with  my  wife  and  three 
little  children,  reached  New  York. 

September  2Gth,  1853. — This  is  the  thirtieth  anni- 
versary of  my  birth-day,  and  it  closes  the  first  ten 
years  of  my  life  as  a  Methodist  Preacher.  The  cry 
of  a  new-born  babe,  my  fourth  child,  is  heard  in  the 
house,  and  I  feel  myself  almost  as  weak  and  help- 
less as  that  infant.  In  that  sea  of  waters  which 
threatens  to  ingulf  me,  there  is  nothing  to  which  I 
can  clin^  but  the  word  of  Him  who  hath  said : 

"Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air:  for  they  sow  not,  neither  do  they 
reap,  nor  gather  into  barns ;  yet  your  heavenly  Father  feedeth  them. 
Are  ye  not  much  better  than  they  ?  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field, 
how  they  grow;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin :  and  yet  I  say 
unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one 
of  these.  Wherefore,  if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which 
to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not  much  more 
clothe  you,  0  ye  of  little  faith  ?  Take  therefore  no  thought  for  the 
morrow ;  for  the  morrow  shall  take  thought  for  the  things  of  itself. 
Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 


THE    END. 


perbg  cC*  $actaon's  publications. 


A  most  interesting  Work. 


THE  PJFLE,  AXE,  AND  SADDLE-BAGS, 

A  VOLUME  OF  LECTURES 

BY    REV.    WILLIAM    HEISTRY    IvOLBTJRN. 

One  neat  volume,  12ino.    Price  §1  00. 


CONTENTS  (IN  PART). 
THE  SYMBOLS  OF  EARLY  WESTERN  CHARACTER. 
The  Untamed  Wilderness — Daniel  Boone — The  Female  Captive — The 
Mysterious  Shot — A  Narrow  Escape — A  Backwoods  Marriage — Wedding 
Dinner  and  Dance — Homes  in  the  Wilderness — Justice  in  the  Backwoods 
Preachers  in  the  Wilderness — The  Preacher's  Dormitory — Henry  Beidel- 
man  Bascom — "  Old  Jimmy's  "  Reproofs — The  Pioneer's  Work. 

THE  TRIUMPHS  OF  GENIUS  OVER  BLINDNESS. 

Beauty  and  Effects  of  Light — Eminent  Blind  Men — Remarkable  Sense 
of  Hearing — John  Milton — Premonitions  of  Blindness — Blindness  an  Im- 
pediment to  Oratory — Sympathy  Necessary  to  the  Speaker — The  other 
Senses  Quickened — The  Blind  Man's  Need  is  his  Gain — "  I  am  Old  and 
Blind." 

AN  HOUR'S  TALK  ABOUT  WOMAN. 

The  Moral  Greater  than  the  Intellectual — John  Howard  the  Philanthro- 
pist— Ancient  and  Modern  Women — Frivolity  a  Prevailing  Evil — Earnest- 
ness of  Female  Authors — Women  the  Best  Literary  Instructors — Woman's 
Responsibility — The  Power  of  Sympathy — The  Importance  of  Conversa- 
tion— Woman  the  True  Reformer. 

EARLY  DISCOVERIES  IN  THE  SOUTHWEST. 

Exploration  of  the  Mississippi— Gold  Unsuccessfully  Sought — Collisions 
with  the  Indians — Attack  upon  the  Chickasaws — Historical  Traditions — 
Incidents  of  Forest  Life— Dispersion  of  the  Settlers — Anglo-Saxon  Su- 
premacy. 

Address, 

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THE  METHODIST; 

OR, 

INCIDENTS'   AND    CHARACTERS   FROM   LIFE,   IN   THE  BALTIMORE 
CONFERENCE. 

BY    MIRI^JYI    FLETCHER. 

WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY  REV.  W.  P.  STRICKLAND,  D.D. 

In  two  handsome  12mo.  volumes.    Price  $2. 


The  scene  of  "  The  Methodist  "  is  laid  mostly  in  Virginia,  with  an  occasional  change 
to  Baltimore,  and  the  characters  are  such  as  may  be  expected  in  those  localities.  The 
hero,  Harry  Bradford — a  young,  ardent  Methodist  preacher — is  brought  up  in  the  house 
of  his  grandfather,  one  of  the  real  old  Virginia  gentlemen,  aristocratic  and  hospitable, 
and  we  are  frequently  charmed  with  the  author's  accurate  pictures  of  plantation  life. 
The  negroes  are  faithful,  affectionate,  genuine  darkies  of  the  true  Virginia  stamp. 

When  young  Bradford  arrives  at  manhood,  "  the  blood  of  all  the  Howards,"  particularly 
that  portion  of  it  that  flows  through  the  veins  of  Aunt  Rodney,  the  jealous  guardian  of 
the  family  honors,  is  outraged  at  his  resolution  to  be  a  Methodist  preacher — a  circuit 
rider — for  episcopacy  is  a  part  of  the  birthright  of  Virginia.  But  he  perseveres  in  his 
determination,  and  gives  himself  to  his  chosen  profession  with  entire  self-consecration. 
Methodism,  with  its  many  and  striking  peculiarities,  as  well  as  its  acknowledged  power 
as  an  aggressive  missionary  agent,  has  become  a  part  of  our  national  history.  Is  it  not 
well  that  it  should  be  more  vividly  brought  before  the  general  reader?  Here  Methodist 
ways  and  usages,  that  are  fast  fading  away,  are  perpetuated  in  a  series  of  scenes 
drawn  from  life.  Class-meeting,  Love-feast,  Watch-night,  Camp-meeting,  Circuit-life, 
Conference,  all  in  vivid  touches,  succeed  each  other  on  the  canvas;  and  Methodists  of 
the  olden  time,  as  they  turn  leaf  after  leaf,  will  say,  ''This  is  all  true."  Some  are  still 
living  that  can  occasionally  add,  "  Parva  para  jut"  for  there  is  scarcely  a  page  amid 
these  peculiar  sketches  on  which  some  incident  some  trait,  is  not  from  actual  experi- 
ence. The  description  of  a  Baltimore  camp-meeting,  as  it  used  to  be,  is  beautiful, 
and  as  true  as  it  is  beautiful.  That  annual  sojourn  in  the  tented  grove  is  a  wonderful 
outburst  of  romance  in  a  people  generally  protesting  against  such  follies.  Then  con- 
ference, with  its  deep  emotion,  and  Wesley  Chapel,  and  old  Light  street,  names  dear 
to  Methodists,  all  heighten  the  interest  of  the  book. 
{See  neat  page.) 


/Ocrbn  &  Jackson's  publications. 


From  the  Author's  Pre/ace  to  "  The  Metlwdisl." 
Having,  for  many  years,  been  conversant  with  the  deeply  interesting  scenes  and 
characters  of  Methodist  life,  the  question  has  often  arisen  in  my  mind,  "  Why,  when 
here  is  so  rich  and  varied  a  field  for  writers  of  fiction,  has  no  one  improved  it?"  Often 
have  I  listened  with  breathless  interest  to  tales  from  the  lips  of  our  fathers,  of  their 
early  toils  and  sufferings,  when  circuits  were  almost  as  large  as  conferences  now  are, 
and  when  even  the  humblest  shelter  might  not  be  attained  before  the  traveller  was 
overtaken  by  the  shades  of  night,  and,  like  the  Rev.  M'Kendree,  he  has  rested  his  weary 
head  upon  the  ground,  and  found,  on  waking,  his  hair  frozen  to  his  rough  pillow  ;  when, 
like  another  who  still  lives  to  proclaim  his  message  of  peace,  these  self-denying  men 
were  so  long  absent  from  the  comforts  of  home  as  to  find,  on  their  return,  they  were 
unknown  to  their  children.  Why,  I  have  again  and  again  asked,  why  cannot  these 
soul-stirring  incidents  find  a  more  enduring  record,  before  their  memory  is  entombed 
with  the  venerable  actors  ? 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  peculiar  and  graphic  features  of  Methodism  are  rapidly 
fading,  and  will  soon  disappear  from  among  us.  They  may  still  linger,  perhaps,  on  the 
remote  frontier  of  our  country  ;  but  we  who  sit  at  home,  surrounded  by  the  enfeebling 
influences  of  refined  and  wealthy  Methodism,  need  to  be  reminded  of  the  early  struggles 
and  privations  of  our  missionary  fathers. 

Who  will  rescue  these  thrilling  stories  from  oblivion?  Who  will  explore  this  yet 
almost  unopened  mine  of  treasure?  Of  my  own  incompetency  I  am  not  ignorant,  and 
yet,  in  despair  of  seeing  the  pleasing  task  undertaken  by  more  skillful  hands,  I  venture 
— not  to  follow  the  hardy  pioneer  in  his  wanderings  by  wood  and  stream— not  to  describo 
the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  the  generation  which  has  passed  away — but  to  weave  into 
a  simple  narrative  some  of  those  circumstances  that  have  occurred  within  my  own 
knowledge. 

From  Dr.  Strickland's  Introduction  to  "  The  Methodist." 
We  have  perused  these  pages  with  an  absorbing  interest,  and  frankly  confess  that  no 
work  of  fiction  we  ever  read  possesses  half  the  charm  which  this  does  ;  and  what  is  vastly 
better,  it  cannot  fail  to  awaken  the  purest  emotions  and  improve  the  heart.  The  cha- 
racters are  all  so  admirably  drawn,  the  scenes  so  graphically  described,  and  the  group- 
ings so  well  executed,  that  the  persons  and  scenes  rise  before  the  mind  in  life-like 
reality.  Nothing  is  over-wrought,  a  graceful  and  beautiful  simplicity  pervading  and 
blending  the  whole.     *    *    *    * 

*  *  *  Much  of  the  toils,  hardships,  and  successes  of  these  pioneer  preachers  is 
unwritten,  and  what  has  been  made  a  matter  of  historic  record,  only  exists  in  fragmen- 
tary sketches.  This  book  embraces  a  part  of  that  history,  and  like  Scott's  "Old  Mor- 
tality,'* which  so  thrillingly  describes  the  labors,  sufferings,  and  conflicts  of  the  Scottish 
Covenanters,  it  will  be  read  with  interest  by  all  who  love  to  dwell  upon  the  heroic 
achievements  of  the  pioneers  of  the  cross.  The  author's  description  of  a  Methodist 
"  Class-meeting,"  and  also  of  a  "  Watch-night  meeting  "  and  "  Camp-meeting."  is  truly 
to  the  life,  and  could  uot  have  been  written  but  by  one  extensively  acquainted  with  the 
peculiar  forms  of  Methodism.  The  toils  incident  to  an  itinerant  life,  and  the  greetings 
and  fa  ewells  of  the  noble  band,  as  they  met  in  Conference,  and  then  (rent  out  rcin- 
sj.i  ed  to  their  different  and  distant  fields  of  labor,  never  all  to  meet  again,  are  touch- 
ingly  described. 

We  hesitate  not  to  say  that  no  Christian,  of  whatever  denomination,  ran  rl 
the  perusal  of  this  book  without   realizing   a  quickening  of  spiritual  emotion,  and  no 
Methodist  can   read  it  without  feeling  a  reawakening  of  the  zeal  and   devotion  that 
characterized  the  early  ministers  and  members  of  the  church. 
(See  neat  page.) 


Ipcrbg  £  laxksoit's  publications. 


Commendations  of  "THE  METHODIST"  by  Prominent  Clergymen. 
From  Rev.  W.  P.  Corbit,  New  York. 

"  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  interesting  books  of  the  age.  Wherever  Dr.  Stevens's 
'  History  of  Methodism  '  goes,  '  The  Methodist '  should  be  its  companion.  There  is  not 
a  pe:son  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  from  her  bishops  down  to  her  humblest 
member,  who  will  not  be  thrillingly  interested  and  intellectually  and  spiritually  improved 
by  its  perusal.  But  it  is  a  book  for  the  world ;  there  is  not  a  word  in  it  that  any  Christ- 
ian can  take  exception  to.  In  conclusion,  I  here  venture  to  say  that  no  converted  or 
unconverted  person,  be  he  old  or  young,  grave  or  lightsome,  will  get  the  book  and  read 
it,  without  having  all  the  better  emotions  of  his  mind  and  heart  stirred  to  their  very 
depths." 

From  Rev.  S.  Sewell,  Baltimore. 

"  It  has  been  said  that  the  historians  of  our  country  have  overlooked  the  molding 
influence  which  Methodism  has  exerted  upon  its  people  and  government;  so,  it  has  been 
unobserved,  that  amid  the  rude  and  hard  of  Methodist  itinerant  life  there  is  much  to 
address  the  taste  and  imagination.  The  outside  world  have  seen  and  heard  only  the  ad- 
vance and  tumult  of  an  augmenting  host ;  but  a  woman's  ear  has  caught  the  sound  of 
its  evening  gun — she  has  sat  beside  its  camp-fires,  and  listened  to  the  unwritten  stories 
of  God's  dealings  with  human  hearts,  which  shall  have  no  full  rehearsal  until  the  last 
day.  She  has  seen  the  morning  light  touch  the  tips  of  the  standards  and  summon  the 
multitude  again  to  movement,  and  while  idle  spectators  have  only  thought  of  the  weary 
march,  her  cleared  vision  has  detected  elements  of  the  loftiest  poetry.  The  offering  of 
Miriam  Fletcher  is  one  of  the  early  gatherings  of  a  harvest  into  which  the  ages  to 
ome  will  delight  to  enter  and  reap  plenteously." 

From  Rev.  TTm.  Kerr,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

"  Last  night  I  closed  the  reading  of  '  The  Methodist.'  It  is  a  charming  book.  The 
incidents  are  happily  selected,  portrayed  in  chaste  language,  and  presented  in  the  most 
attractive  manner.  The  leading  characters  are  drawn  to  the  life ;  presenting  on  the 
one  hand,  the  utter  emptiness  and  vanity  of  worldly  principle  and  enjoyment;  and,  on 
the  other,  the  beauty,  loveliness,  and  strength  of  human  character  under  the  elevating 
and  sanctifying  influence  of  divine  grace.  The  writer  deserves  thanks  for  bringing  be- 
fore the  public  mind  the  prominent  features  of  Methodism  in  so  truthful  and  attractive 
form ;  and  I  do  not  doubt  the  book  will  have,  as  it  richly  deserves,  a  general  circulation 
amply  remunerative  to  its  accomplished  and  amiable  authoress.  Inter  nos,  the  '  Meth- 
odist '  ought  to  be  put  into  the  hands  of  every  unmarried  itinerant,  for  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that  not  a  few  now  married  have  wives  by  no  means  qualified  for  the  position 
they  occupy." 

Baltimore  Christian  Advocate. 
"  May  God  bless  the  author  of  this  book  for  her  faithfulness  to  the  truth,  and  her  glo- 
rying in  the  real  worth  of  Methodism.  We  do  not  know  who  she  is,  but  as  far  as  our 
matrimonial  relations  leave  us  at  liberty,  tee  love  her,  and  we  don't  oare  whoknowt  it. 
As  a  literary  performance,  the  work  is  highly  creditable  :  the  language,  is  correct,  clear, 
and  well  chosen  ;  the  story  is  very  interesting  and  will  be  read  by  many  merely  for  the 
amusement  it  affords.  As  to  the  propriety  of  writing  religious  fiction,  we  see  no  reason 
why  this  powerful  variety  of  literature  should  be  abandoned  to  the  devil,  and  we  are 
pleased  to  see  Christian  '  fly  on  the  prey  and  seize  the  prize,' and  '  plunder  the  casual 
lover.'    All  things  are  Christ's." 

.s. ,  nra-t  page. 


Pcvbj)  t£  $athson's  publications. 


Northwestern  Christian  Advocate. 

"  The  world  begins  at  last  to  realize  the  fact  that  the  annals  of  Methodism  are  brimful 
of  romantic  heroism,  self-sacrifice  and  daring.  Starting  eagerly  at  the  discovery,  it 
seems  to  gather  up  its  strange  and  eventful  history,  Here  are  two  volumes — good  12mo. 
They  depict  the  history  of  the  grandson  of  the  proud  Virginia  gentleman,  CoL  Hunter. 
We  have  the  details  of  his  conversion,  his  call  to  the  ministry,  his  refusal  of  tempting 
offers,  his  itinerancy :  and  here  come  up  the  conference,  the  camp-meeting,  the  watch- 
night,  etc.,  some  of  which  we  mean  to  copy.  Of  course,  he  marries,  Methodist  preachers 
generally  do,  and  soon  enough  at  that.  The  style  is  attractive.  But  we  give  the  notice 
of  our  staid  contemporary,  the  American  Presbyterian  : 

"  '  These  volumes  will  be  found  to  abound  in  incidents  of  thrilling  interest  to  the  Meth- 
odists, and  will  not  prove  unattractive  to  the  general  reader.  All  Christian  denomina- 
tions may  learn  some  very  important  and  practical  lessons  by  the  study  of  the  early 
history,  doings  and  progress  of  the  Methodists  in  this  country.  This  work  contains 
many  elements  of  popularity.'  " 

Christian  Advocate  and  Journal. 
"  The  hero,  a  young,  ardent  Methodist  preacher,  is  brought  up  in  the  house  of  his 
grandfather,  one  of  the  real  old  Virginia  gentlemen,  aristocratic  and  hospitable,  and  the 
author  gives  accurate  pictures  of  plantation  life,  class-meeting,  love-feast,  watch-night, 
camp-meeting,  circuit-life,  conference,  all  in  vivid  touches  succeed  each  other  on  the 
canvas  ;  and  Methodists  of  the  olden  time,  as  they  turn  leaf  after  leaf,  will  say  :  '  This 
is  all  true.'  " 

Home  Circle  (Methodist,  Nashville,)  Tcnn. 

"To  the  true  Methodist,  who  sees  the  peculiar  traits  of  his  sect  gradually  disappear- 
ing with  the  innovations  of  the  present  time,  it  will  be  invaluable  as  furnishing  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  past ;  while  the  interest  of  the  story  alone  will  commend  it  to  the  general 
reader." 

Zion's  Ilfrahh 

"  The  universal  testimony  is  that  it  is  of  thrilling  Interest,  truthful,  natural,  and 
deeply  imbued  with  religious  sentiment." 

Richmond  Christian  Advocate. 

"  An  interesting  story,  destined  to  an  extraordinary  circulation.  *  *  *  It 
is  faithful  in  its  descriptions  of  Methodist  usages." 

New  Orleans  Christian  Advocate. 
"  The  best  evidence  we  have  of  the  truthfulness  and  interest  of  these  handsome  vol- 
umes, is  their  hearty  recommendation  in  the  Baltimore  Christian  Advocate.  The  next 
best  is  the  favorable  notices  of  the  press  generally,  Methodist  and  otherwise.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  pleasant  style  and  absorbing  interest  of  the  narrative,  we  are  assured  that  it 
rescues  from  oblivion,  very  much  that  is  important  to  Methodist  history  in  the  renowned 
old  seat  of  Methodism,  the  Baltimore  Conference." 

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